The 22nd plenary meeting of the Cabinet of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was held on November 13, 1952.

At the meeting a draft resolution of the Cabinet on enforcing universal free medical care system was read out and the resolution was adopted by unanimous approval.

Comrade Kim Il Sung (April 15, 1912-July 8, 1994) had long conceived a plan for enforcing the system.

During the days of the anti-imperialist revolutionary struggle, he introduced free medical care in the guerrilla zones, creating a new history of medical care.

After Korea’s liberation from the Japanese military occupation on August 15, 1945, he clarified the issue of treating the patients free of charge in the 20-point Platform and took the historic measure of putting public health service on a democratic basis as part of the effort to carry out democratic reforms and giving free medical care to factory and office workers and their dependents, who were in need of medical assistance, from 1947 onwards in accordance with the social insurance law of the state.

He also took a measure to set up many institutions for training medical workers like universities, colleges and nurse schools and hospitals and clinics across the country. By the first half of 1950 the country could eliminate sub-counties without doctors and produce considerable amounts of medicines and medical appliances by its own efforts.

During the Fatherland Liberation War (June 25, 1950-July 27, 1953) he keenly realized an urgent need for enforcing universal free medical care system and made preparations for it step by step.

He met the minister of Public Health and other officials on several occasions during the war and said to them: Introduction of universal free medical care system is not a mere administrative and technical task, but a very important political task which will realize the centuries-old desire of our people; some people may wonder how it is possible to introduce free medical service at state expense when the country is under very difficult situation due to the war; true, it is no easy task in the present conditions to introduce universal and free medical care at state expense; but, no matter how enormous the state expenditure and no matter what the difficulties are, we, who share the bitter and the sweet with the people, should do all we can to ensure universal and free medical care.

As necessary conditions for enforcing the system were matured, he convened the above plenary meeting.

After the meeting, the Ministry of Public Health and other relevant organs stepped up preparations for enforcing the system.

After making sufficient preparations, the country started to enforce the universal free medical system on January 1, 1953. Now the Korean people enjoy all the benefits of the socialist healthcare system.

Kim Hyok