aus der Ausgabe 11/2004 aus der Ausgabe 11/2004
Legend of Human Love in Songun Era
IN LATE AUGUST “RYONGchon patients” left the Kim Man Yu Hospital in east Pyongyang, amid the blessings of all people.
“Ryongchon patients” are those whose life hung in the balance, badly wounded during the unexpected explosion at the Ryongchon Railway Station on April 22. The people were moved with deep emotion at the sight of the revived, smiles of joy on the faces, lively walking out of the gate of the hospital.
They said in unison that it was another legend of human love woven in the Songun era.
40 hours and devotion
IT WAS ON MAY 12 THAT THE hospital received six “Ryongchon patients” who were brought by air.
They are: Kim Myong Song, man, 14, in middle school, unconscious with the liver ruptured, the skull fractured and blood poisoned; Pak Chol Jin, man, 8, in primary school, unconscious with cerebral contusion and subarachnoid haemorrhage; Han Chol, man, 9, in primary school, with cerebral contusion, skull fracture (the brain displaced) and critical meningitis; Jong Myong Suk, woman, 39, worker, with cerebral contusion, left rib fracture and critical decubitus; Kim Jong Guk, man, 29, in college of agriculture, with cerebral contusion, jawbone fracture and the face split; Choe Song Hyon, man, 28, worker, with thoracispinal contusion and paraplegia—all of the six were alike in indescribably critical conditions.
The whole of the hospital was out, and there was formed a treatment team with the director of the hospital as its chief and Prof. and Dr. Ri Tong Chun, vice-director in charge of technical affairs, and other most able and creditable doctors and nurses as its members.
Several emergency conferences for relevant treatment measures were held in both offices of the director and the vice-director.
“We should by all means resuscitate all the patients in order to return the trust of the state that has given us the task of treating them, and demonstrate the superiority of our society that holds human life dearest. Let’s do our best. Nothing is impossible to us if we set to. This is the way of work for us people in the Songun era,” the director appealed, touching the heartstrings of the team members.
Scrupulous treatment measures were followed by an intense treatment work.
The patients were given transfusions, and expensive medicines were administered to them. The doctors and nurses attended them day and night, as kindly as they should their own brothers and sisters or sons and daughters.
Kim Song Ho, chief of the intensive treatment department, and other doctors and nurses transfused their own blood into the young patients Kim Myong Song, Pak Chol Jin and Han Chol.
Their devotion paid off. In nearly 40 hours from 03:15 pm of May 12 to 07:00 am of May 14, Kim Myong Song and Pak Chol Jin, who had been most worried over, came to themselves in succession.
Public concern
THE FIRST-AID TREATMENT measures were taken for maintaining and prolonging the life of the patients and medical treatment started in real earnest.
Difficult operations were done successfully, and necessary medicines also administered without stint. At last the patients got better appreciably day after day.
All the employees of the hospital as well as the treatment team showed all sincerity.
Some doctors and nurses brought catfish or carp soup to stimulate the patients’ appetites, and the others offered them thick chicken or rabbit soup mixed with tonic astragalus, ginseng and so on.
This was not confined to the hospital. State and public concern was also great for the “Ryongchon patients”, the victims of calamity.
Premier Pak Pong Ju of the Cabinet of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea visited the hospital to acquaint himself with the relevant treatment measures, and he cheered the hearts of the patients and inspired the doctors and nurses.
The Minister of Public Health and other officials of the ministry showed much concern over them. During the whole period of treatment they frequented the hospital to take part in the treatment conferences and solve knotty problems in good time.
The chief secretary of the Party committee of the Taedonggang District where the hospital is located also assisted materially and morally, visiting and frequently phoning the hospital.
Besides, officials of the ministries and national organs, institutions and enterprises, the People’s Army soldiers and the citizens rendered sincere support to the hospital.
Dwelling on their deeds vice-director Ri Tong Chun said, “The whole country, the whole city inspired us, worrying together with us about the patients, and gave kindhearted support to us. I have been working for more than 30 years as doctor, but I have rarely experienced such a time as this when the whole country is concerned for several ordinary patients, I think. It is another emotional scene that can be seen only in the country in the Songun era where, as the situation becomes more difficult, the people, in firmer unity, overcome all hardships, helping one another.”
The six patients were fully recovered by virtue of the treatment team’s unstinted efforts under the care of the whole country and the whole city.
“The thought of my recovery moves me to tears. I was filled with gratitude to our popular health system whereby an ordinary worker like me gets the best treatment. Words fail me. Under such a health system I’ve become able to walk again. I will discharge my civil duty for the sake of our homeland that brought me back to life,” Choe Song Hyon, the young man at the age of 28, said in a choked voice full of gratitude.