Lee Hee Jung, Cheon Chunhoo, Kim Jinwon, Kwon Kyung Won, Jang Bo-Hyoung
Department of Global Public Health and Korean Medicine Management, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
J Public Health Policy. 2022 Dec;43(4):560-574. doi: 10.1057/s41271-022-00374-6. Epub 2022 Nov 4.
This study retrospectively reviews the medical service usage data of North Korean arrivals collected from 2015 to 2019. The purpose of this study is to understand the medical use status of North Korean arrivals and to design health policies for them. We reviewed 32,653 medical records of North Korean arrivals who visited the National Medical Center as outpatients and inpatients during a 5-year period. Among 1453 patients with an average age of 46.7 years, we found that among the treated patients, there were many women in their 40s and 50s who complained of psychiatric disorders. The most frequently visited department was psychiatry. The most frequently diagnosed disorder was unspecified depression. 88% of patients utilized Medical Care assistance type 1, which means that they are medical aid beneficiaries because they are usually in difficult economic circumstances. Medical examination and treatment fees of North Korean arrivals increased in general, and older patients paid more. Among North Korean arrivals, middle-aged women and mentally ill patients showed high medical needs. This study recommends that the government provide policy support to North Korean arrivals for professional psychiatric treatment and improvement of medical access. We also expect these results to be applied to the health problems of other refugees.
本研究回顾性分析了2015年至2019年收集的朝鲜入境者医疗服务使用数据。本研究的目的是了解朝鲜入境者的医疗使用状况，并为他们制定健康政策。我们回顾了5年间在国家医疗中心门诊和住院的32653份朝鲜入境者的病历。在1453名平均年龄为46.7岁的患者中，我们发现在接受治疗的患者中，有许多40多岁和50多岁抱怨患有精神疾病的女性。就诊最多的科室是精神科。最常诊断出的疾病是未特定的抑郁症。88%的患者使用了1类医疗救助，这意味着他们是医疗救助受益人，因为他们通常经济状况困难。朝鲜入境者的体检和治疗费总体上有所增加，年龄较大的患者支付得更多。在朝鲜入境者中，中年女性和精神病患者表现出较高的医疗需求。本研究建议政府为朝鲜入境者提供政策支持，以获得专业的精神治疗并改善医疗服务可及性。我们也期望这些结果能应用于其他难民的健康问题。
