Amnesty: North Korea's crumbling health system in dire need of aid

[Lars77]

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/north-koreas-crumbling-health-system-dire-need-aid-2010-07-14

Amputation and other major surgeries carried out without anaesthesia are just one indication of the dire state of North Korea’s healthcare system, a new Amnesty International report has found.

The Crumbling state of health care in North Korea draws on interviews with North Koreans and health workers to paint a picture of barely-functioning hospitals void of medicines and epidemics brought on by malnutrition.

Photo from Norwegian newspaper:


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My question: Is it ok that the people of North Korea are denied anaesthetics for surgery because of their governments behaviour? This is a perfect example of how an embargo works. Or rather, doesen't. People are suffering in horrible ways, and it does not make people simply rise up and demand democracy and McDonald's franchises.

The people of North Korea are being punished for nothing more than being unfortunate enough to be born in one of the world's most oppressive and brutal regimes.

[sharp_stick]

1. Meanwhile Kim Jong nutjob

and anyone he likes have no problem getting anythign they want.

North Korea is an empire in decline because of the insane ramblings of it's leadership. Whenever they start putting out pictures of how sad it is there you can be sure the only reason is that they want something.

We could send all the medicine in the world to those assholes and they'd sell it to put up another palace outside of Pyongyang for the little shit and his inner circle.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Heard about this on NPR this AM, and gobsmacked again about...

how in this age a country can be so isolated and miserable that people don't know it's wrong to have to go to the pharmacy and buy your medicine and take it back to the doctor to have it injected.

There was an interview with a woman who had an appendectomy without anesthetic-- they tied her down to the table and the surgery was so crude it took 1 1/2 hours.

But, the little pishiger running the show has nuclear weapons. Makes the suffering worth it.

[Crunchy Frog]

3. I'm pretty sure that their health care system consists

of a few rolls of gauze and some grain alchohol.

People in North Korea are denied anesthetics for surgery for the same reason that they have to eat rats and weeds. Because their leadership is totally off the wall nuts, and they do not put their resources into meeting the most basic needs of the population. It's often convenient to blame other governments for this sort of thing, and sometimes the blame is deserved, but I don't think this is one of those cases.