North Korea unveils next-stage public health goals at party congress

North Korea’s health ministry used the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea earlier this month to announce an ambitious new phase in what the regime calls its “public health revolution,” pushing to transform healthcare from a basic social service into a pillar of state strategy, a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Monday.

The source said the ministry praised achievements of the past five years but stressed that the public health revolution must now advance to a new stage. In a meeting with senior officials responsible for public health and medical care, the ministry declared that healthcare is to be treated as a strategic field preserving state dignity and demonstrating the superiority of its system, rather than a mere social service.

Central to that vision is what officials described as an “all-in-one socialist medical system” combining prevention, treatment and recovery. The ministry said that system represents the state’s mid- and long-term development strategy, and that legislation has been passed to secure priority funding for the public health sector. Ministry officials described their institution not as an executor of party policy but as a critical actor in achieving state objectives.

Pyongyang hospital, rural clinics and the push for universal coverage

The ministry pointed to Pyongyang General Hospital as evidence of progress, saying it has acquired advanced diagnostic and surgical equipment and established specialized departments covering cancer, cardiovascular conditions, cerebrovascular conditions and other serious illnesses. Officials said those capabilities now allow the North Korean medical system to handle even the most difficult cases domestically, and called for spreading the message that “nothing can’t be treated in Pyongyang.”

Beyond the capital, the ministry said renovation and modernization work is underway at municipal and county hospitals under the regime’s 20×10 regional development policy. Heating, water supply and hygiene standards in hospital wards are slated for major improvements to meet benchmarks set by the Central Committee.

On international cooperation, the ministry said working-level discussions on exchange with friendly countries are progressing and that overseas training for some young doctors has resumed, aimed at building expertise in cutting-edge clinical techniques.

The ministry also said a medical network has been established linking county, municipal and provincial hospitals with the Central Committee, enabling virtual consultations and remote supervision of medical procedures. Clinics in mountainous areas and on islands have received computer equipment, though connectivity remains limited.

Officials called on health workers to complete the rollout of a neighborhood doctor system, under which physicians are assigned to specific residential areas and are responsible for maintaining detailed family health records and identifying conditions early. A computer system for tracking individuals with mental health conditions and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis has also been introduced, with neighborhood watch units and clinics instructed to cross-check names against those records.

“Disease management can no longer be left to the individual, but must be handled by the state,” the ministry said.

On medication, officials said the expansion of state-run model pharmacies is improving storage and distribution, but acknowledged that refrigerated storage shortages and weak quality control enforcement require urgent action.

The source said the health ministry has designated 2026 as the “year of establishing regulations and digitizing medical care to bring the socialist public health system to fruition,” calling for full mobilization across all areas of public health and medical care.

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