culture

Pak Chon Sok, deputy director for surgery of the Koryo Medicine General Hospital in Pyongyang, had a special career as doctor of a Korean People's Army unit for more than ten years.

He had experienced more often than anyone else the preciousness of comrades-in-arms and therefore donated his blood and flesh to save the lives of soldiers in critical conditions. So, on the day when he was posted to the hospital after being discharged 18 years ago, he wrote in his diary:

It is a new post where everything feels peaceful unlike in my previous life as an army medic. But my service will continue. I will dedicate my love and affection to the people as I did to the soldiers.

He worked hard from the day when he began to work at the anorectal surgery department.

He pushed ahead with the research to develop new Koryo medicines and find out classical remedies, while combining Koryo medicine and modern medicine, to alleviate patients’ pains caused by diseases and shorten the period of treatment and the research to categorize the constitutions of patients and prescribe medicines and treatments according to them so as to improve the effectiveness of the traditional medical treatment.

His department once accepted a patient from Songchon County, who had no confidence as he had never remarkably got better though he had undergone treatment for a long time.

While trying to find a remedy for the patient, Pak confirmed that the previous modern remedy used for the patient is high in the rate of relapse and combined it with a Koryo therapy to completely cure the patient.

A few years ago, an honoured disabled soldier was taken to the hospital for a severe bruise which was thought to be impossible to cure.  The doctor, however, eventually cured the patient by means of more than 10 rounds of thoracocenteses and combination of modern and Koryo medical treatments.

"Many patients who suffered from chronic diseases have recovered thanks to the deputy director’s sincere devotion and high medical skills. He doesn't know the word 'impossible’ in the treatment of patients," said department head Jo Jun Ho.

He also developed advanced diagnostic and treatment methods including new methods of treating anal fistula and haemorrhoids, a method of using puncture to treat thoracic empyema and the one of treating psoriasis vulgaris by dint of taxane anticancer injection and acupoint injection, and invented such treatment devices as lateral open anoscope and internal haemorrhoid ligational tool with cupping ring rubber.

Busy as he is as deputy director for surgery to which he was promoted five years ago, he has written several reference books comprehensively systematizing his rich experience in treatment and developed valuable IT products and generalized them at curative and preventive institutions across the country, thus making a tangible contribution to further raising the scientific level of Koryo therapies, the traditional cures of Korea.

During the top emergency anti-epidemic period in May last year, he volunteered to conduct field medical service activities for not only inhabitants of the city but also residents of remote mountain villages in South Phyongan Province as if he became an army medic again, thus making a great contribution to restoring the local people to health in the shortest possible time.

In August last year he had the honour to participate in the National Meeting of Reviewing the Emergency Anti-epidemic Work and have a photo taken with the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.

"The unusual working manner of the deputy director who is devoting all his wisdom and enthusiasm to medical treatment for the promotion of the people's health while inwardly continuing to regard himself as an army medic and his achievements serve as an example all our medical workers should follow," said Choe Hyok, director of the hospital.