Door-to-door health service ready for N.K. defectors

People who have fled North Korea will be able to receive door-to-door healthcare service in the South from fellow North Korean defectors from this month.

They will also be able to receive tailored medical services at local public healthcare centers, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday.

The authorities have hired 10 North Korean defectors with counseling licenses here at public healthcare centers of 10 regions where more than 100 defectors reside ― Gangseo district of Seoul; Bucheon, Ansan and Seongnam of Gyeonggi Province; Incheon; Gwangju; Chuncheon of Gangwon Province; Asan of South Chungcheong Province; Jeonju of North Jeolla Province and Gimhae of South Gyeongsang Province.

The counselors, paired with professional nurses, will visit residences of North Korean defectors and check their health status, screen for possible infection of tuberculosis, hepatitis B and mental disorders. They will provide information about medication, nutrition and exercise or translate for the nurses in medical procedures.

They will also link them with local public healthcare centers, where tailored services will be provided without the risk of identity exposure. The service is expected to bridge defectors and local communities, the ministry said in a press release.

The service was adopted to provide defectors with more intensive care. “They suffer from long-term malnutrition and their living conditions here are not good either, which lead to various health problems. But because of their fear to be identified by the public for safety’s sake and experience language barriers, not many people have dared to use public healthcare services,” Lee Jun-mi, a ministry official, said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)