• H R Choi and S Ha.
• Division of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Graduate School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
• Niger J Clin Pract. 2019 Jul 1; 22 (7): 913-919.

BackgroundNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major challenge to health and social development in the 21st century, and North Korea is no exception. However, there is a lack of information concerning NCDs in North Korea, and a different approach is needed to understand the NCDs burden there. This study examines the perceptions and experiences of refugee doctors from North Korea concerning the NCDs burden in North Korea.MethodsFocus group discussions were conducted with 10 refugee doctors from North Korea who had been recruited through snowball sampling.ResultsNorth Korean refugee doctors participating in this study indicated that NCDs are the highest priority diseases, that North Koreans did not appear to have a high level of understanding and knowledge of NCDs, that economic breakdown was the primary cause of the NCDs burden, and that a high priority should be assigned to targeting NCDs in North Korea.DiscussionAlthough the North Korean refugee doctors were medical professionals, they faced serious challenges accessing and managing patients with NCDs. South Korea needs to prepare for a potentially large number of people with NCDs should a freer movement of peoples occur between the two countries.

22 keywords...

hide…