Table 1 Health service utilization and barriers experienced by respondents in North Korea (Crude and adjusted for RDS methodology)
From: Health and healthcare in North Korea: a retrospective study among defectors
Crude | Adjusted | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Freq (%) | % [95% CI] | ||
HEALTH SERVICE UTILIZATIONa | |||
Medical costs | Medical consultation | 186 (62.6) | 65.4 [58,74.1] |
Medicine and medical supplies | 228 (79.4) | 82.0 [75.5,88.1] | |
Others (e.g., meals or heating) | 162 (72.6) | 75.9 [65.7,84.1] | |
Bribe | 152 (56.7) | 57.8 [49.2,66.4] | |
Resource for payment | Black market employment | 124 (46.8) | 47.3 [40.4,55.3] |
Public distribution system | 19 (7.2) | 7.1 [3.5,11.5] | |
Sale of household items | 89 (33.6) | 39.8 [30.9,47.3] | |
Borrowed | 38 (14.3) | 17 [10.4,23.3] | |
Support of relatives or neighbors | 57 (21.5) | 19.4 [13.1,26.3] | |
Location of the purchase of medicines & medical supplies | Informal market (pharmacy) | 179 (59.1) | 60.5 [53.2,66.9] |
Informal market (street stalls) | 125 (41.3) | 42.5 [35.8,49.9] | |
Hospital or clinic | 39 (12.9) | 10.0 [6.8,15.1] | |
Type of medication | Formal medicine | 236 (77.6) | 79.5 [73.2,84.6] |
Narcotic analgesics | 119 (39.1) | 39.7 [32.5,49.3] | |
Methamphetamines | 7 (2.3) | 1.8 [0.4,4.1] | |
HEALTH SERVICE BARRIERSb | |||
Types of healthcare services not received | No diagnosis and treatment | 86 (28.7) | 30.1 [23.7,36] |
Self-medication without diagnosis | 148 (49.3) | 52.1 [44.9,58.2] | |
Diagnosis without treatment | 60 (20) | 18.2 [13.9,24] | |
Reason for not receiving care | Medical costs | 145 (49.2) | 53.8 [45.1,60.8] |
Lack of medicine and medical supplies | 118 (40) | 39.5 [33.3,47.1] | |
Closed clinic and hospital | 28 (9.5) | 10.9 [5.7,16.1] | |
No trust in health professional | 28 (9.5) | 10 [6.5,15.5] | |
Physical distance to clinic | 25 (8.5) | 7.7 [4.3,12.9] | |
Source of self-treatment | No treatment | 34 (11.2) | 10.1 [6.3,13.4] |
Informal market (pharmacy) | 148 (49) | 55.4 [48.4,62.9] | |
Informal market (street stalls) | 122 (40.4) | 40.8 [34.1,49.3] | |
Remaining medications | 29 (9.6) | 7.7 [4.2,11.4] | |
Traditional medicine | 43 (14.2) | 10.6 [6.7,15] | |
Type of self-medication | Formal medicine | 184 (63) | 63.5 [57.1,71] |
Narcotic analgesics | 163 (55.8) | 53.7 [45.7,61.2] | |
Methamphetamines | 7 (2.4) | 2.7 [0.3,6.2] | |