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North Korean arrivals’ medical service usage in South Korea, 2015–2019

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Abstract

This study retrospectively reviews the medical service usage data of North Korean arrivals collected from 2015 to 2019. The purpose of this study is to understand the medical use status of North Korean arrivals and to design health policies for them. We reviewed 32,653 medical records of North Korean arrivals who visited the National Medical Center as outpatients and inpatients during a 5-year period. Among 1453 patients with an average age of 46.7 years, we found that among the treated patients, there were many women in their 40s and 50s who complained of psychiatric disorders. The most frequently visited department was psychiatry. The most frequently diagnosed disorder was unspecified depression. 88% of patients utilized Medical Care assistance type 1, which means that they are medical aid beneficiaries because they are usually in difficult economic circumstances. Medical examination and treatment fees of North Korean arrivals increased in general, and older patients paid more. Among North Korean arrivals, middle-aged women and mentally ill patients showed high medical needs. This study recommends that the government provide policy support to North Korean arrivals for professional psychiatric treatment and improvement of medical access. We also expect these results to be applied to the health problems of other refugees.

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Author notes

  1. Hee Jung Lee and Chunhoo Cheon have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global Public Health and Korean Medicine Management, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea

    Hee Jung Lee & Bo-Hyoung Jang

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea

    Chunhoo Cheon & Bo-Hyoung Jang

  3. Department of Korean Medicine, National Medical Center, 245, Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul, 04564, Republic of Korea

    Jinwon Kim

  4. Department of Otolaryngology, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan, Seoul, 05505, Republic of Korea

    Kyung Won Kwon

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  1. Hee Jung Lee
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  2. Chunhoo Cheon
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Correspondence to Bo-Hyoung Jang.

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Lee, H.J., Cheon, C., Kim, J. et al. North Korean arrivals’ medical service usage in South Korea, 2015–2019. J Public Health Pol 43, 560–574 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-022-00374-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-022-00374-6

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