Health Policy Manag.  2020 Sep;30(3):301-310. 10.4332/KJHPA.2020.30.3.301.

The Implications on Healthcare System of the Unified Korea: Lesson from System Integration Countries

• Ju YJ
• Huh SE
• Lee JE

• KMID: 2507299
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4332/KJHPA.2020.30.3.301

Abstract

Background
In this study, we aimed to investigate the recent trends for health care indicators including maternal mortality ratio, infant mortality rate, under-five mortality rate, life expectancy, years of life lost, and healthcare resources in South Korea, North Korea, Germany, Russian Federation, Mongolia, Vietnam, China, Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary.
Methods
We used data from five sources: World Health Organization, Federal Institute for Population Research, World Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development health statistics, and national statistics.
Results
In the early 1990s, health indicators continued to improve in countries that switched to the health insurance system, but the gap widened in North Korea as health indicators worsened.
Conclusion
The establishment of a sustainable health care system after unification of the Korean peninsula requires substantial changes in the health care system and efforts to improve the health of North Koreans.

Keyword

Unified Korea; Integrated countries; Health care quality indicators