As the North-South has lately seen rapid progress, the need is growing for research studies that look into ways to reduce social disparities in the process of establishing a Korean Peninsula peace regime. As a response to such a need, this study proposes a feasible integration scenario for healthcare in the two Koreas and presents policy goals that should be pursued at different stages the integration.
This study sets itself apart from others in that it takes account not only current situations of North Korea, but also the microeconomic changes that are likely to occur in different stages of South-North social integration. Some of the findings of this study are as follow. Firstly, since the 1990s, healthcare use in North Korea has become so market-oriented as to render the existing system of free-of-charge health services largely ineffective. North Koreans still suffer from lack of access to essential medicines. To help them have better access to necessary pharmaceuticals requires comprehensive management of phar-maceuticals sales and production. Secondly, this study makes projections of changes that could occur in a possible integrated health system that combines South Korea’s National Health Insurance and the North’s free-of-charge care. Thirdly, a comparative look at key indicators of health and healthcare use in South and North Koreas suggests that it is highly likely that North Korea’s healthcare costs, kept to a minimum under a largely inoperative public health care system, will grow exponentially when the system gets activated to a full extent. Thus, there is a need for policies that can help reduce infectious, non-infectious and maternal and child diseases. Also needed are policies that improve the sustainability of healthcare. Fourthly, this study suggests ways to reinforce healthcare facilities, capacity building for healthcare workers, health information systems, health policy capacity, health governance, and health financing capacity.