Mick Hartley

Local hospitals in North Korea have no drugs beyond herbal medicines, and people only go there to get medical certificates to avoid work. “There are no naive people here who go to hospitals expecting treatment". So Pyongyang is promoting a "self-reliance" approach to medical care: hospitals have to produce their own medicines, and the people have to cure themselves. 

Local hospitals across North Korea are actively manufacturing their own medicines following the regime’s “self-reliance” directive.

According to a Daily NK source in North Pyongan province recently, county hospitals in areas including Yomju and Taechon have begun prescribing self-produced traditional medicines to patients this year. These include “Youngsinhwan” made from wild ginseng, “Danggangssughwan,” remedies for arthritis made from aralia root, and antibiotics derived from honeysuckle.

These measures aim to provide at least some medication to patients amid shortages of essential drugs like antibiotics and painkillers….

“There are no naive people here who go to hospitals expecting treatment,” the source said. “Many visit hospitals to get medical certificates to avoid work. Even those who are genuinely sick have come to accept receiving only prescriptions without actual medicine.”

Traditional medicines may vary though:

County hospitals throughout the province are engaging in self-reliance through the production of Korean traditional medicines, with Youngsinhwan being the most commonly manufactured.

“Youngsinhwan is everywhere these days, but each hospital adds different ingredients in different amounts, so the taste and hardness vary,” the source explained. “Since the effectiveness hasn’t been verified, people don’t make judgements about whether it works but rather comment on which hospital’s version tastes sweeter or which one is just bitter.”

Never mind the effectiveness, check out the taste.