The 18th national symposium of health workers on experience of devoted service took place at the Myohyangsan Medical Appliances Factory on November 6-7.

The symposium heard successes and experience gained by health workers in the medical service and research into medical science for protecting the lives and safety of people and promoting their health.

Selfless devotion

Pak Yun Gyong, head nurse of the metabolism department of the South Hwanghae Provincial General Hospital, is a health worker of new generation.

Though she could take up any other jobs after finishing middle school, she became a nurse with a desire to repay the favour bestowed by the socialist healthcare system on her father who had been critically ill when she was a child.

With extraordinary devotion to the nurse’s duties, she voluntarily took charge of many serious patients and contributed to their resuscitation.

Ri Yong Ran, a nurse of the Tumour Institute of the Academy of Medical Sciences, is dedicating herself to the care of patients.

While making strenuous efforts to improve her nursing skills, she came to know even the number of drops a bottle of injection contains and acquired a method of giving little pain to patients while injecting.

Once, she nursed with sincere devotion a 78-year-old man whose family had already given up on him as all his vital signs were beyond the danger line. Like this, she made great contributions to healing a lot of critically ill patients.

Pang Hyok Chol, a medical worker from North Hamgyong Province, said that he realized through his practical experience that he could be successful in the treatment of patients if he devoted sincerity to them with the spirit of serving people.

When a critical patient was taken to the hospital in May last year, Pang and other medical workers boldly applied a new surgical method though they had little experience of curing such patients and resuscitated him after some 50 days of intensive care.

Among the medical workers who devoted their sincere efforts to the promotion of the people’s health are U Yong Suk, chief doctor of the Jisan Polyclinic in Waudo District, Nampho, who has been called “our household doctor” by the residents for over forty years, Kang Jin Hyok, head of the functional diagnosis department of the Kangwon Provincial Koryo Medicine Hospital, who renovated the treatment conditions and environment and has actively conducted outreach medical team activities, and Ri Song Guk, doctor of the respiratory system department of the South Phyongan Provincial Children’s Hospital, who saved a young patient by completing a new treatment method for the first time in the country by the concerted efforts of the collective.

Doctors of all-round abilities

Prof and Dr Won Sung Gwon, department chief of the orthopaedic hospital affiliated to a central hospital, developed an operation method, which was regarded as a cutting-edge technique in the field of spinal surgery, in conformity with the constitution of Koreans and won a best inventor prize for 2024.

He said that the days of research he spent staking the honour of being a medical scientist of the DPRK proved once again that sincere devotion leads to great ability.

Pak Chol Rim, senior doctor of the cardiovascular surgery department of the North Phyongan Provincial General Hospital, made considerable successes as he tried hard to possess genuine sincerity and high medical skills.

He introduced dozens of advanced vascular surgical methods to greatly reduce the number of patients referred to higher hospitals and developed various surgical materials.

Jo Ok Son, a doctor in charge of households at the Okryu Polyclinic in Taedonggang District, Pyongyang, made remarkable achievements in treating children’s cerebral palsy and other incurable diseases with Koryo therapies, the traditional medicine of the Korean people.

A 9-year-old kid treated by Jo Ok Son wrote in his diary: “Today I went to school for the first time in my life. Mom wept as I left home wearing a new school uniform and carrying a new satchel. I will never forget the doctor who cured my illness so that I can play and study to my heart’s content.”

Beautiful stories touching the heartstrings of people are continuously told as the devoted service movement gains momentum among health workers who harbour the noble sense of responsibility for the people’s health.