Showing posts with label Christian Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian Friends. Show all posts
Sunday, January 5, 2020
1812 October — Christian Friends of Korea
October — Christian Friends of Korea
December 12, 2018
OCTOBER
I was partnered with a young female doctor at the Pyongyang Hepatitis Hospital during my first time in DPRK, and now we work together every time I visit. She has become like a younger sister to me. We share chocolates, laughs, and tidbits about our lives. I’ve learned about her family, her country, and things she enjoys. I want to share more of my story with her, but there are barriers, so we do our best. I met her when she was single, and now she is married, about to have her first child. I see her concern for her patients that are struggling to live with their disease. She acknowledges the predicament of trying to provide hope and healing in the midst of limitations due to circumstances and the unknown. Hope seems fragile and unfamiliar. It is not often given, nor received easily. However, with the hepatitis B treatment project, I am seeing glimpses of people who are beginning to hope and envision a better future.
Behind her big smile, I often wonder what she is thinking and feeling. I long to have deeper conversations with her. Nevertheless, I realize the best I can do is to pray for her and for her nation. God knows the details. Every time I visit the DPRK, God shows me that this is His work, which is done in His timing and direction. He reminds me that he has promised to never forget or forsake His people, and He desires for all to know Him. That is the hope I desire to share with the people. My presence there is merely to be a vessel that extends God’s love and leaves His lingering fragrance in that place.
Contributed by: Dr. Christine Jun
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
1812 Christians in North and South Korea
Christen in Nord- und Südkorea - Nein und Amen
No and Amen 26.12.2018
Christians in North and South Korea No and Amen
In South Korea, the churches are flourishing, North Korea is officially governed by religious freedom, but religious communities are constantly under surveillance. Colorful prayer ribbons are stitched to the border fence from the South Korean side. The wishes: reunification and disarmament.
By Corinna Mühlstedt
A sign on the inner Korean border shows the distance to the two capitals Seoul and Pyongyang. (PA / dpa / Daniel Kalker)
"We Christians in North and South Korea yearn for peace and unity. We ask the churches around the world for support so that we can shake off the chains of the Cold War that still hold us captive. "(Lee Hong Jung)
"Dialogue at eye level, political, seems to me the only way to reach peace. I learned that myself in North Korea: When the partners sat opposite me, the doors were open. "(Notker Wolf)
The most important thing for Korea is now to seize the opportunity for peace and dismantle enemy images - on both sides. When we meet each other, we will find that the others are also people and often even Christians. (Peter Prove)
Experiences of three Korea experts: the representative of the Korean Council of Churches, Lee Hong Jung, the Benedictine abbot, Notker Wolf, and the Director of International Affairs of the World Council of Churches, Peter Prove.
More than half a century ago, the Korean War ended with a ceasefire without a peace treaty.
Since then, the Korean Peninsula has been divided into: the Communist People's Republic of North Korea and the US-backed Republic of South Korea. In both parts of the country huge weapons arsenals are stored.
Nuclear Test Site Punggye-ri in Northeastern North Korea (Uncredited / APTN / AP / dpa)
As tensions between North Korea and the US escalate in the summer of 2017, the nightmare of a nuclear war threatens to come true. In August news channel N-TV announces:
"The US Department of Defense and President Trump vigorously warn North Korea of all activities that could lead to the end of the regime and the destruction of its people ..."
South Korea's politicians stand between all chairs at this time. But the churches in the country are appealing to the approximately 15 million Christians in Korea and call the government to account:
One of Korea's most popular folk songs, "Arirang", is heard at light demonstrations and ecumenical prayer vigils in the South Korean capital Seoul. It formulates the yearning of the people for reconciliation and unity. On leaflets stands:
"The world must listen to the Korean people: we are determined against a new war on our peninsula."
"As Korean Christians, we feel a historic responsibility to overcome the division of our country and create a nuclear weapon-free zone. May churches around the world help us to make the voice of peace heard! "
In South Korea, about one third of the population professes a Christian church, just under 20 percent are Buddhists. There are also countless smaller religious communities. The majority of Koreans follow the philosophy of Confucianism.
Solidarity of the Pope
In their anti-war protests, Korea's Christians receive immediate support from other faith communities and, not least, from international church organizations:
From Rome, Pope Francis assures the Koreans of his solidarity during an interreligious dialogue meeting with the "Korean Council of Religious Leaders" in September.
"I keep praying that God give peace and reconciliation to Korea. May the consciousness of our friendship strengthen us, to go forward together. "
And the secretary-general of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Olav Fykse Tveith, explains in an open letter:
"In view of the dangerous situation on the Korean Peninsula, we urge the international community to seek peaceful solutions. And we rely on the power of the churches to promote dialogue. "
In April 2018, what seemed impossible before happened: North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae In meet at the inter-Korean border, in Panmunjom, and sign a historic statement:
"We announce to 80 million Koreans and around the world that there will be no war on the Korean Peninsula and a new era of peace will begin. We shared the resolve to quickly end the split in Korea and the Cold War relic. We are determined tousher ina new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity. "
South Korean President Moon Jae In (r.) Welcomes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the border in Panmunjeom on 27.4.2018. (MAXPPP / Kyodo / dpa)
Two months later, the first spectacular encounter between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump will take place in Singapore. She is also doing well. Peter Prove sums up on the part of the World Council of Churches:
"These political summits of Panmunjom and Singapore we experienced like miracles. The statements that have been passed reflect many steps that the churches have been encouraging for decades. It has finally become clear that dialogues continue as conflicts. "
A look at the history of Korea shows the importance of Christianity in the Confucian-influenced "land of the morning silence": The Catholic Church reached Korea in the 18th century from China. In the 19th century, evangelical missionaries from the United States settled there.
Brutal persecution
Soon after, German missionary Benedictines from Santa Ottilie founded monasteries in Korea. Abbot Notker Wolf remembers:
"In 1909 the first of us Ottilians drove to Seoul, the first seminary in Seoul was built by us, and a crafts school was started. But then came the big surprise: the Japanese occupied Korea in 1910 and forbade us from continuing to run schools ... "
Notker Wolf at the congress filmtonart Film Music Day at the beginning of the 32th Munich Film Festival (imago / D. Bedrosian)
Faced with the threat of the Japanese military, the missionaries retreated to the remote north of the country - today's North Korea - and built new communities there.
But the invasion of Soviet troops and the outbreak of the Korean War finally brought their work to an abrupt end there, according to today's Presbyter of the Missionary Benedictines, Jeremias Schröder:
"From 1949 to 1952, the new Communist rulers brutally persecuted our confreres and the sisters who worked with us. There have been 38 deaths, partly because of hardship in prison, partly because of executions, partly in a separate concentration camp. "
The fate of the Benedictines corresponds to that of most Christians in North Korea: many were killed, others were lost, some managed to escape to the south.
The Korean War was not least an ideological conflict between the communist regimes of Asia and the United States. He claimed about 4 million victims nationwide. In 1953 he ended with a truce and the division of Korea along the 38th parallel. A peace treaty does not exist until today.
The communities are growing
Reconstruction in the devastated country took a long time. Until the 1980s, South Korea was struggling with dictatorships. Then the young democracy took root and experienced an economic miracle. Skyscrapers with colorful neon signs shot up like mushrooms, as well as churches of all denominations. Notker Wolf summarizes:
"The Church of South Korea flourished very quickly and became very strong, especially because during the time of the dictatorship it was very much on the side of the persecuted and repeatedly pointed to human rights. The church has tremendous credibility in South Korea and that's what makes it so appealing. "
This applies equally to Protestant and Catholic communities. One third of the approximately 50 million South Koreans are Christians today. The scandals of the Catholic Church, such as sexual abuse of children and priestly cover-up, are not an issue in Korea.
Some monasteries of the Benedictines count hundreds of religious, reports Jeremias Schröder:
"If you travel to Korea today, then you will find a truly thriving Christianity, which is lived with great fervor, in a very convincing form. And there is also very strong awareness of your own mission history: Christianity is a gift, and it is also an assignment. "
Bastion of communism
Unlike South Korea, North Korea, which has only about 20 million inhabitants, has hermetically shielded itself from the outside world for decades. The country is considered the last bastion of radical communism.
From South Korea, pilgrims regularly visit the demilitarization zone, which separates them from the communist north. Colorful ribbons with prayers are stapled to the border fence. They express the hope of the Koreans for a reunion. The Secretary-General of the South Korean Christian Council, Rev. Kim Young Ju, recalls:
"After the Korean War, any encounter between North and South Koreans was strictly prohibited. It was not until the 80s that the ice between our two states was gradually broken. This is due not least to the international commitment of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. In 1986, he first facilitated a meeting between Christians from North and South Korea in Switzerland. At that time, we finally started talking and praying again. It was an incredible experience for us all and awoke the longing for a reunion. "
North Korea is officially governed by religious freedom, but religious communities are only allowed to operate under the strictest state control. On behalf of the World Council of Churches, Peter Prove traveled several times with delegations and gained a differentiated picture:
"In North Korea, there is a so-called" Christian Association ", to which we have regular contact. It is small and comprises about 12-15000 Christians of different denominations. This Christian Association was founded in the 1980s by the family of the mother of dictator Kim Il Sung - a deeply religious woman. The leaders of the association can still rely on the support of a part of this family. This gives them support and even political significance. "
Everything under control
Dictator Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994, gave North Korea its current identity and is deeply revered throughout the country. The current ruler, Kim Jong Un, is his grandson. The situation of the Christians in North Korea is by no means hopeless against this background, explains Peter Prove:
"I have often been confronted with the assertion that all Christians in North Korea are persecuted to this day. That's definitely not true. According to our observation, there are problems with the regime for Christians only when they become missionary outside of the controlled areas. "
Last but not least, says Peter Prove, he visited a small Protestant seminary in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, and found that it provided a simple but solid theological education. However, the Catholic Church does not have a training center throughout the country and is thus in a much more difficult situation:
"We also have contact with an official" Association of Catholic Christians "in North Korea, but it is tiny and has only a few hundred members. In addition, there seems to be no ordained priest nationwide. But the situation is not hopeless here. As a World Council of Churches, we have an exchange with Catholic interlocutors around the globe and help as much as possible. "
In North Korea, the people have been suffering from a famine for years. It is the result of the mismanagement of the communist regime and the economic embargo with which Western countries want to prevent the North Korean state from expanding its nuclear program.
Connections to Taizé
Help for the suffering population often comes from international church institutions such as Caritas or Diakonie. A group from the Taizé Ecumenical Community recently visited humanitarian projects in North Korea.
"It was impressive to see how isolated the country is, how isolated people are and how grateful they are for contacts",
reports Brother Alois. The situation, according to the Prior of Taizé, shook him. The main concern today is for the international community "to be given a greater awareness of this difficult and bad situation of separation, that there is still no peace treaty, that people on both sides - North Koreans, too, let us be very clear - agree Reunification hope and that does not progress. "
The international confederation of Benedictines built a 100-bed hospital a few years ago under the leadership of Notker Wolf in a North Korean free-trade zone. The South Korean Benedictines promote the clinic to this day, says Jeremias Schröder:
"We visit this hospital relatively regularly, deliver medication there and support the development and development. We see this as a bridge. We do not rule out that there might be Catholic Christians in isolated, remote places in the underground, but we have no contact with them at first. "
Submissive gesture of a mayor
After all, Notker Wolf was pleased during his last visit to North Korea on the unexpected gesture of a politician:
"The mayor gave us a dinner. At first he said at the table: "Please do not forget to pray." - We also prayed. And then he told us that he was in Rome. And this gentleman told us: you do not believe how much we appreciate it, that you are coming right now because all the world is against us. And you from the Catholic Church, you come to us now and help us. "
Notker Wolf considers that a drastic economic boycott of North Korea is wrong: Political feuds should not be fought on the backs of the people, but most importantly, one must respect each nation's fear for its identity:
"North Korea wants to be independent, wants to be fully recognized, like every nation. And they think they can do that only by producing nuclear weapons. I was told by government officials in 2006, "Had Saddam Hussein really had the atomic bomb, he would not have been attacked by the Americans." - They are almost paranoid about the Americans, about an attack. If we give them identity and give them, I am convinced that we will find a more peaceful way. "
Interests of Russia, China and the USA
South Korean Christians are convinced that peace between the two parts of the country has not only failed due to the attitude of communist ideologues. He was and is also the massive political interests of Russia, China and the US in the way, says the South Korean Christian Council in a publication:
"The US 2001 attacks on Afghanistan and 2003 on Iraq were understood in North Korea as warnings that something similar might happen to their own country. Since then, many Koreans have been worried that Korea's civilization may be threatened or even wiped out by a new war. "
Because they know: The international arms industry is making enormous sums of money for the nuclear upgrading of the Korean Peninsula. The Secretary-General of South Korean Christian Council Kim Young Ju therefore emphasizes:
"We Christians in North and South Korea today agree: we want to put an end to the rule of violence and weapons on our peninsula and to build ways in which we find each other peacefully."
An icon for the dictator
The political summits in Panmunjom and Singapore opened doors to such paths in 2018, says Peter Prove:
"These meetings have created a whole new atmosphere. They express many of the demands that we Christians have been advocating for years, but which seemed utopian for a long time. These include the desire to sign as quickly as possible a peace treaty between the two parts of Korea in order to end the state of war that has existed since 1950. Such a contract would create trust and a basis for solving further problems. "
In addition, it would be necessary to mitigate the sanctions against North Korea and not only to dismantle the nuclear arsenals there, but also in South Korea, indeed worldwide, explains Peter Prove. For those who demand security for themselves must grant them to others.
"With an ecumenical delegation from the World Council of Churches in the early summer of 2018, we once again visited both parts of Korea. In South Korea, government officials thanked us and said that President Moon Jae In felt strongly encouraged by the commitment of the churches. Shortly afterwards, we had a similar conversation with our interlocutors in North Korea, in which politicians expressly acknowledged our commitment to peace. "
For this reason, as usual in Asia, gifts were exchanged with the conversation partners, says Peter Prove, and an equally surprising and symbolic gesture is experienced:
"We brought to the North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un an Orthodox icon that shows Christ as the" Prince of Peace ". We had to declare that it is a spiritual representation that motivates us as Christians to work for peace in the world. And this icon was gladly accepted as a gift for Kim Jong Un. "
Footprint of peace
In June 2018, a mixed delegation of North and South Korean Christians traveled to Geneva for the World Council of Churches to celebrate its 70th anniversary with guests from all over the world. The head of the North Korean delegate Myong Chol Kang once again thanked the ecumenical movement on this occasion:
"You've done a lot to make peace on the Korean peninsula a reality. The whole world welcomes this new era in the face of the immense dangers that threatened us just a few months ago. Now everything depends on how we implement the statements of Panmunjom and Singapore. We continue to ask for your support! "
Young participants of Asian Youth Day in South Korea take a "selfie" with the Pope. (AFP / Osservatore Romano)
Pope Francis visited at the same time the World Council of Churches and came with the guests from Korea into the conversation. Four months later, South Korean President Moon Jae In traveled to Rome and delivered a message from North Korea to the Pope. Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said shortly afterwards on the Vatican Radio:
"The president of South Korea has informed the pope of the interest of North Korean leader Kim Yong Ju to receive him in Pyongyang. And Pope Francis has confirmed his readiness for such a visit. Now we have to wait and see how the whole thing can be formally shaped. Because a journey of this kind requires extremely thorough planning. "
Archabbot Jeremiah has recently talked with representatives of the Catholic Church in Korea about the subject.
"Our Korean confreres are deeply involved in the efforts of the Episcopal Conference there to achieve reconciliation with the North. And so it is great joy now that so much movement has come into the subject. There is great euphoria in the country. But within the Church of South Korea, it is also clear that such a visit must be prepared very seriously. "
Is Francis traveling to North Korea?
It was important to weigh security issues and political concerns of all kinds, according to the Benedictine. But one thing is certain: the desire of a communist dictator whose regime once murdered thousands of Christians to receive the Pope was a small sensation and a chance for peace.
"If Pope Francis succeeds in traveling to North Korea, it will of course open doors. From the pope's point of view, it is clearly a message of peace, of reconciliation in this divided peninsula. And the hope we have is that such a visit can also set the life of the Church in North Korea free again. Our Korean confreres would be thrilled if there was a chance to start working there again. "
Christians in North and South Korea No and Amen
In South Korea, the churches are flourishing, North Korea is officially governed by religious freedom, but religious communities are constantly under surveillance. Colorful prayer ribbons are stitched to the border fence from the South Korean side. The wishes: reunification and disarmament.
By Corinna Mühlstedt
A sign on the inner Korean border shows the distance to the two capitals Seoul and Pyongyang. (PA / dpa / Daniel Kalker)"We Christians in North and South Korea yearn for peace and unity. We ask the churches around the world for support so that we can shake off the chains of the Cold War that still hold us captive. "(Lee Hong Jung)
"Dialogue at eye level, political, seems to me the only way to reach peace. I learned that myself in North Korea: When the partners sat opposite me, the doors were open. "(Notker Wolf)
The most important thing for Korea is now to seize the opportunity for peace and dismantle enemy images - on both sides. When we meet each other, we will find that the others are also people and often even Christians. (Peter Prove)
Experiences of three Korea experts: the representative of the Korean Council of Churches, Lee Hong Jung, the Benedictine abbot, Notker Wolf, and the Director of International Affairs of the World Council of Churches, Peter Prove.
More than half a century ago, the Korean War ended with a ceasefire without a peace treaty.
Since then, the Korean Peninsula has been divided into: the Communist People's Republic of North Korea and the US-backed Republic of South Korea. In both parts of the country huge weapons arsenals are stored.
Nuclear Test Site Punggye-ri in Northeastern North Korea (Uncredited / APTN / AP / dpa)As tensions between North Korea and the US escalate in the summer of 2017, the nightmare of a nuclear war threatens to come true. In August news channel N-TV announces:
"The US Department of Defense and President Trump vigorously warn North Korea of all activities that could lead to the end of the regime and the destruction of its people ..."
South Korea's politicians stand between all chairs at this time. But the churches in the country are appealing to the approximately 15 million Christians in Korea and call the government to account:
One of Korea's most popular folk songs, "Arirang", is heard at light demonstrations and ecumenical prayer vigils in the South Korean capital Seoul. It formulates the yearning of the people for reconciliation and unity. On leaflets stands:
"The world must listen to the Korean people: we are determined against a new war on our peninsula."
"As Korean Christians, we feel a historic responsibility to overcome the division of our country and create a nuclear weapon-free zone. May churches around the world help us to make the voice of peace heard! "
In South Korea, about one third of the population professes a Christian church, just under 20 percent are Buddhists. There are also countless smaller religious communities. The majority of Koreans follow the philosophy of Confucianism.
Solidarity of the Pope
In their anti-war protests, Korea's Christians receive immediate support from other faith communities and, not least, from international church organizations:
From Rome, Pope Francis assures the Koreans of his solidarity during an interreligious dialogue meeting with the "Korean Council of Religious Leaders" in September.
"I keep praying that God give peace and reconciliation to Korea. May the consciousness of our friendship strengthen us, to go forward together. "
And the secretary-general of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Olav Fykse Tveith, explains in an open letter:
"In view of the dangerous situation on the Korean Peninsula, we urge the international community to seek peaceful solutions. And we rely on the power of the churches to promote dialogue. "
In April 2018, what seemed impossible before happened: North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae In meet at the inter-Korean border, in Panmunjom, and sign a historic statement:
"We announce to 80 million Koreans and around the world that there will be no war on the Korean Peninsula and a new era of peace will begin. We shared the resolve to quickly end the split in Korea and the Cold War relic. We are determined tousher ina new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity. "
South Korean President Moon Jae In (r.) Welcomes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the border in Panmunjeom on 27.4.2018. (MAXPPP / Kyodo / dpa)Two months later, the first spectacular encounter between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump will take place in Singapore. She is also doing well. Peter Prove sums up on the part of the World Council of Churches:
"These political summits of Panmunjom and Singapore we experienced like miracles. The statements that have been passed reflect many steps that the churches have been encouraging for decades. It has finally become clear that dialogues continue as conflicts. "
A look at the history of Korea shows the importance of Christianity in the Confucian-influenced "land of the morning silence": The Catholic Church reached Korea in the 18th century from China. In the 19th century, evangelical missionaries from the United States settled there.
Brutal persecution
Soon after, German missionary Benedictines from Santa Ottilie founded monasteries in Korea. Abbot Notker Wolf remembers:
"In 1909 the first of us Ottilians drove to Seoul, the first seminary in Seoul was built by us, and a crafts school was started. But then came the big surprise: the Japanese occupied Korea in 1910 and forbade us from continuing to run schools ... "
Notker Wolf at the congress filmtonart Film Music Day at the beginning of the 32th Munich Film Festival (imago / D. Bedrosian)Faced with the threat of the Japanese military, the missionaries retreated to the remote north of the country - today's North Korea - and built new communities there.
But the invasion of Soviet troops and the outbreak of the Korean War finally brought their work to an abrupt end there, according to today's Presbyter of the Missionary Benedictines, Jeremias Schröder:
"From 1949 to 1952, the new Communist rulers brutally persecuted our confreres and the sisters who worked with us. There have been 38 deaths, partly because of hardship in prison, partly because of executions, partly in a separate concentration camp. "
The fate of the Benedictines corresponds to that of most Christians in North Korea: many were killed, others were lost, some managed to escape to the south.
The Korean War was not least an ideological conflict between the communist regimes of Asia and the United States. He claimed about 4 million victims nationwide. In 1953 he ended with a truce and the division of Korea along the 38th parallel. A peace treaty does not exist until today.
The communities are growing
Reconstruction in the devastated country took a long time. Until the 1980s, South Korea was struggling with dictatorships. Then the young democracy took root and experienced an economic miracle. Skyscrapers with colorful neon signs shot up like mushrooms, as well as churches of all denominations. Notker Wolf summarizes:
"The Church of South Korea flourished very quickly and became very strong, especially because during the time of the dictatorship it was very much on the side of the persecuted and repeatedly pointed to human rights. The church has tremendous credibility in South Korea and that's what makes it so appealing. "
This applies equally to Protestant and Catholic communities. One third of the approximately 50 million South Koreans are Christians today. The scandals of the Catholic Church, such as sexual abuse of children and priestly cover-up, are not an issue in Korea.
Some monasteries of the Benedictines count hundreds of religious, reports Jeremias Schröder:
"If you travel to Korea today, then you will find a truly thriving Christianity, which is lived with great fervor, in a very convincing form. And there is also very strong awareness of your own mission history: Christianity is a gift, and it is also an assignment. "
Bastion of communism
Unlike South Korea, North Korea, which has only about 20 million inhabitants, has hermetically shielded itself from the outside world for decades. The country is considered the last bastion of radical communism.
From South Korea, pilgrims regularly visit the demilitarization zone, which separates them from the communist north. Colorful ribbons with prayers are stapled to the border fence. They express the hope of the Koreans for a reunion. The Secretary-General of the South Korean Christian Council, Rev. Kim Young Ju, recalls:
"After the Korean War, any encounter between North and South Koreans was strictly prohibited. It was not until the 80s that the ice between our two states was gradually broken. This is due not least to the international commitment of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. In 1986, he first facilitated a meeting between Christians from North and South Korea in Switzerland. At that time, we finally started talking and praying again. It was an incredible experience for us all and awoke the longing for a reunion. "
North Korea is officially governed by religious freedom, but religious communities are only allowed to operate under the strictest state control. On behalf of the World Council of Churches, Peter Prove traveled several times with delegations and gained a differentiated picture:
"In North Korea, there is a so-called" Christian Association ", to which we have regular contact. It is small and comprises about 12-15000 Christians of different denominations. This Christian Association was founded in the 1980s by the family of the mother of dictator Kim Il Sung - a deeply religious woman. The leaders of the association can still rely on the support of a part of this family. This gives them support and even political significance. "
Everything under control
Dictator Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994, gave North Korea its current identity and is deeply revered throughout the country. The current ruler, Kim Jong Un, is his grandson. The situation of the Christians in North Korea is by no means hopeless against this background, explains Peter Prove:
"I have often been confronted with the assertion that all Christians in North Korea are persecuted to this day. That's definitely not true. According to our observation, there are problems with the regime for Christians only when they become missionary outside of the controlled areas. "
Last but not least, says Peter Prove, he visited a small Protestant seminary in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, and found that it provided a simple but solid theological education. However, the Catholic Church does not have a training center throughout the country and is thus in a much more difficult situation:
"We also have contact with an official" Association of Catholic Christians "in North Korea, but it is tiny and has only a few hundred members. In addition, there seems to be no ordained priest nationwide. But the situation is not hopeless here. As a World Council of Churches, we have an exchange with Catholic interlocutors around the globe and help as much as possible. "
In North Korea, the people have been suffering from a famine for years. It is the result of the mismanagement of the communist regime and the economic embargo with which Western countries want to prevent the North Korean state from expanding its nuclear program.
Connections to Taizé
Help for the suffering population often comes from international church institutions such as Caritas or Diakonie. A group from the Taizé Ecumenical Community recently visited humanitarian projects in North Korea.
"It was impressive to see how isolated the country is, how isolated people are and how grateful they are for contacts",
reports Brother Alois. The situation, according to the Prior of Taizé, shook him. The main concern today is for the international community "to be given a greater awareness of this difficult and bad situation of separation, that there is still no peace treaty, that people on both sides - North Koreans, too, let us be very clear - agree Reunification hope and that does not progress. "
The international confederation of Benedictines built a 100-bed hospital a few years ago under the leadership of Notker Wolf in a North Korean free-trade zone. The South Korean Benedictines promote the clinic to this day, says Jeremias Schröder:
"We visit this hospital relatively regularly, deliver medication there and support the development and development. We see this as a bridge. We do not rule out that there might be Catholic Christians in isolated, remote places in the underground, but we have no contact with them at first. "
Submissive gesture of a mayor
After all, Notker Wolf was pleased during his last visit to North Korea on the unexpected gesture of a politician:
"The mayor gave us a dinner. At first he said at the table: "Please do not forget to pray." - We also prayed. And then he told us that he was in Rome. And this gentleman told us: you do not believe how much we appreciate it, that you are coming right now because all the world is against us. And you from the Catholic Church, you come to us now and help us. "
Notker Wolf considers that a drastic economic boycott of North Korea is wrong: Political feuds should not be fought on the backs of the people, but most importantly, one must respect each nation's fear for its identity:
"North Korea wants to be independent, wants to be fully recognized, like every nation. And they think they can do that only by producing nuclear weapons. I was told by government officials in 2006, "Had Saddam Hussein really had the atomic bomb, he would not have been attacked by the Americans." - They are almost paranoid about the Americans, about an attack. If we give them identity and give them, I am convinced that we will find a more peaceful way. "
Interests of Russia, China and the USA
South Korean Christians are convinced that peace between the two parts of the country has not only failed due to the attitude of communist ideologues. He was and is also the massive political interests of Russia, China and the US in the way, says the South Korean Christian Council in a publication:
"The US 2001 attacks on Afghanistan and 2003 on Iraq were understood in North Korea as warnings that something similar might happen to their own country. Since then, many Koreans have been worried that Korea's civilization may be threatened or even wiped out by a new war. "
Because they know: The international arms industry is making enormous sums of money for the nuclear upgrading of the Korean Peninsula. The Secretary-General of South Korean Christian Council Kim Young Ju therefore emphasizes:
"We Christians in North and South Korea today agree: we want to put an end to the rule of violence and weapons on our peninsula and to build ways in which we find each other peacefully."
An icon for the dictator
The political summits in Panmunjom and Singapore opened doors to such paths in 2018, says Peter Prove:
"These meetings have created a whole new atmosphere. They express many of the demands that we Christians have been advocating for years, but which seemed utopian for a long time. These include the desire to sign as quickly as possible a peace treaty between the two parts of Korea in order to end the state of war that has existed since 1950. Such a contract would create trust and a basis for solving further problems. "
In addition, it would be necessary to mitigate the sanctions against North Korea and not only to dismantle the nuclear arsenals there, but also in South Korea, indeed worldwide, explains Peter Prove. For those who demand security for themselves must grant them to others.
"With an ecumenical delegation from the World Council of Churches in the early summer of 2018, we once again visited both parts of Korea. In South Korea, government officials thanked us and said that President Moon Jae In felt strongly encouraged by the commitment of the churches. Shortly afterwards, we had a similar conversation with our interlocutors in North Korea, in which politicians expressly acknowledged our commitment to peace. "
For this reason, as usual in Asia, gifts were exchanged with the conversation partners, says Peter Prove, and an equally surprising and symbolic gesture is experienced:
"We brought to the North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un an Orthodox icon that shows Christ as the" Prince of Peace ". We had to declare that it is a spiritual representation that motivates us as Christians to work for peace in the world. And this icon was gladly accepted as a gift for Kim Jong Un. "
Footprint of peace
In June 2018, a mixed delegation of North and South Korean Christians traveled to Geneva for the World Council of Churches to celebrate its 70th anniversary with guests from all over the world. The head of the North Korean delegate Myong Chol Kang once again thanked the ecumenical movement on this occasion:
"You've done a lot to make peace on the Korean peninsula a reality. The whole world welcomes this new era in the face of the immense dangers that threatened us just a few months ago. Now everything depends on how we implement the statements of Panmunjom and Singapore. We continue to ask for your support! "
Young participants of Asian Youth Day in South Korea take a "selfie" with the Pope. (AFP / Osservatore Romano)Pope Francis visited at the same time the World Council of Churches and came with the guests from Korea into the conversation. Four months later, South Korean President Moon Jae In traveled to Rome and delivered a message from North Korea to the Pope. Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said shortly afterwards on the Vatican Radio:
"The president of South Korea has informed the pope of the interest of North Korean leader Kim Yong Ju to receive him in Pyongyang. And Pope Francis has confirmed his readiness for such a visit. Now we have to wait and see how the whole thing can be formally shaped. Because a journey of this kind requires extremely thorough planning. "
Archabbot Jeremiah has recently talked with representatives of the Catholic Church in Korea about the subject.
"Our Korean confreres are deeply involved in the efforts of the Episcopal Conference there to achieve reconciliation with the North. And so it is great joy now that so much movement has come into the subject. There is great euphoria in the country. But within the Church of South Korea, it is also clear that such a visit must be prepared very seriously. "
Is Francis traveling to North Korea?
It was important to weigh security issues and political concerns of all kinds, according to the Benedictine. But one thing is certain: the desire of a communist dictator whose regime once murdered thousands of Christians to receive the Pope was a small sensation and a chance for peace.
"If Pope Francis succeeds in traveling to North Korea, it will of course open doors. From the pope's point of view, it is clearly a message of peace, of reconciliation in this divided peninsula. And the hope we have is that such a visit can also set the life of the Church in North Korea free again. Our Korean confreres would be thrilled if there was a chance to start working there again. "
Thursday, April 18, 2019
19 Course Health in developing Asia: India, China, and NK 2018 - 2019
Topic outline
General
UutisetForum
SUBMIT YOUR LEARNING DIARY FOR MODULE 1-3 HERE
Learning diary definition below:
A learning diary is a piece of writing that presents the content of the lectures as well as your own interpretation and questions. A learning diary is not the same as your raw lecture notes. Lecture notes should, however, be used as the backbone of your diary to help you determine the key issues and questions in a particular context. From your learning diary, the teacher will be able to see whether the main arguments of the lectures have “gotten across.” A learning diary helps you become more conscious of the learning process: facts are given a more comprehensive examination, conclusions are drawn, and reasoning methods are developed. In writing your learning diary, you can also refer to scientific texts outside the lectures to support your arguments. During the lectures you should mark key points in your lecture notes while writing down remarks and questions that should be processed further in the learning diary.
Course assignment/learning diaries here
Welcome to the course - practical information
Hello all!
A very warm welcome to this course, brought to you through Asianet, with University of Turku, University of Tampere, with Engage Korea and our wonderful partners from Fudan University, China and RD Gardi Medical College, India and University of the Philippines.
Please note that not all the lectures are uploaded at the start of the course... They will come! However, I wanted to use this opportunity to emphasise that you should try to take your time with the content. Learning does not happen in a second, it takes time to learn, integrate and connect your learning to previous learning. You have until May 11 to complete these different sessions - about a day a week learning is expected from you. You can do this quicker or slower, as long as you submit your final assignment on 11th May. I will check submissions on 12th May at 08:00.
Before we start, please view this video to get acquainted with the sustainable development goals. After the millennium development goals, which were criticised for disease specific and working in vertical systems, silos, without sufficient interconnections, the UN came up with these. Health, equity, and gender are major themes within these goals, and they are integrally related to what we're going to be discussing during this course.
Another absolutely key reading is the attached reprint of Michael Marmot's social determinants of health - a publication from 1999 but still relevant today (see the attached). Please keep its contents in mind while going through the lectures and readings.
Please note that for practical matters the lecture videos on Obesity in China and all lecture videos on North Korea can be accessed via the Moodle e-learning platform of the University of Turku. You will find the relevant links to the UTU Moodle pages under the respective sections. In case you encounter any technical difficulties in accessing the Moodle platform, you can directly contact sabine.burghart@utu.fi.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions!
Salla - salla.atkins@tuni.fi
Syllabus and assessmentPage
Welcome! Watch this first!"File
Marmot: Social determinants of healthFile
Asianet course descriptionFile
Module 1: Public health challenges
This module focuses on key public health challenges in the Asian region, with examples from different countries.
It's important to remember that while we discuss Asia as a region, each country has a different context. Population demographics, politics, infrastructure, health system and distribution of health staff all differ from country to country, and within country.
This course can therefore highlight examples from different settings, to start you thinking about these issues - but cannot claim to be an exhaustive resource of pure truth.
As an interesting tool to use when thinking about the global issues of health, and particular countries, have a look at Gapminder. This interactive tool: https://www.gapminder.org/tools/#$chart-type=bubbles
That resource gives you an opportunity to think and play around with country incomes, different health conditions and the environment, and even compare two different countries for their outcomes! It's not formally part of the course, but if you're interested in this field it has its uses. Gapminder also has a number of other different tools - including dollar street and the gapminder test - that allow you to explore the world - and look at how we might have misconceptions about it.
For the formal content, the first lecture is presented by me, introducing you to health systems, what they are and key issues to consider. In the second lecture we get introduced to maternal and child health in China. The third then gives you a taste of the optional fourth module, by discussing public health and health systems in North Korea (UTU Moodle). In the last lecture for this module we focus then on a particular public health issue, obesity, and its effects and prevalence in China.
UPDATE 11/3/2019 - Dale brought up a very important issue on the use of traditional healing and traditional healthcare's relationship to UHC. For this, I wanted to include this suggested reading on UHC, Asia and traditional healthcare services.
Module 1 discussion forum
Integrating traditional and complementary servicesFile
1.1. Overview of health and health systems in Asia: Associate professor Salla Atkins
The countries that encompass Asia are varied in demographics, in economies, histories, geographies and also health systems.
While it is not possible to enumerate and lump together all Asian countries into one, this presentation attempts to highlight trends that can be seen in the Asian/Pacific region. The lecture will also introduce central concepts that you can use later in the course.
Readings:
Balabanova, D., McKee, M., & Mills, A. (Eds.). (2011). ‘ Good health at low cost ’ 25 years on: What makes a successful health system? London: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. (Read chapter 6,8 and 9, rest if you want to!)
Bloom, G. (2019). Service Delivery Transformation for UHC in Asia and the Pacific. Health Systems & Reform, 5(1), 7–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/23288604.2018.1541498
UHC 2030 International Health Partnership. (2017). Healthy systems for universal health coverage -a joint vision for healthy lives. International Health Partnership, 1–28. Retrieved from https://www.uhc2030.org/fileadmin/uploads/uhc2030/Documents/About_UHC2030/mgt_arrangemts___docs/UHC2030_Official_documents/UHC2030_vision_paper_WEB2.pdf
Bloom service deliveryFile
HSS for UHCFile
Atkins - health systems and healthFile
Balabanova et alFile
1.2. Maternal and child health in China, Associate professor Jiang Hong
China is one of the countries progressed considerably in relation to the millennium development goals in 2015. The country has, still, some work to be done in ensuring equity for expectant mothers particularly in rural, hard-to-reach areas. This lecture introduces you to key issues in maternal and child health in China.
The lecture is posted on the Tampere University server. When clicking the link below, you will encounter a page that is completely in Finnish.
Enter the password in this section on the page:
And click the button "lähetä".
You can access the lecture from the Tampere server here:
https://moniviestin.uta.fi/videot/yhteiskuntatieteiden-tiedekunta/terveystiede/kurssit-2018/china-national-safe-motherhood-program
The password is safemo18. Please don't share this password further.
Required readings (two optional pdfs also appended below):
1. Victora CG, Requejo JH, Barros AJD, Berman P, Bhutta Z, Boerma T, et al. Countdown to 2015: A decade of tracking progress for maternal, newborn, and child survival. Lancet. 2016;387(10032):2049–59.
2. Veitch K. Medical law and the power of life and death. Int J Law Context. 2006;2(2):137–57.
3. National Health and Family Planning Commission C. Success Factors for Women ’ s and Children ’ s Health National Health and Family Planning Commission , China. Geneva; 2015.
4. The world health organization. World Health statistics 2016: monitoring health for the SDGs. Geneva; 2016. (Read chapters 4 and 5)
Jiang et al universal accessFile
Country policy reportsFile
Countrdown to 2015File
World health statisticsFile
MDGs to SDGsFile
1.3. Public health & health systems in North Korea, Dr. John Grundy
Dr. John Grundy, Adjunct Research Fellow at the Department of Public Health and Tropical Medicine of James Cook University Australia.
General
SUBMIT YOUR LEARNING DIARY FOR MODULE 1-3 HERE
Learning diary definition below:
A learning diary is a piece of writing that presents the content of the lectures as well as your own interpretation and questions. A learning diary is not the same as your raw lecture notes. Lecture notes should, however, be used as the backbone of your diary to help you determine the key issues and questions in a particular context. From your learning diary, the teacher will be able to see whether the main arguments of the lectures have “gotten across.” A learning diary helps you become more conscious of the learning process: facts are given a more comprehensive examination, conclusions are drawn, and reasoning methods are developed. In writing your learning diary, you can also refer to scientific texts outside the lectures to support your arguments. During the lectures you should mark key points in your lecture notes while writing down remarks and questions that should be processed further in the learning diary.
Welcome to the course - practical information
Hello all!
A very warm welcome to this course, brought to you through Asianet, with University of Turku, University of Tampere, with Engage Korea and our wonderful partners from Fudan University, China and RD Gardi Medical College, India and University of the Philippines.
Please note that not all the lectures are uploaded at the start of the course... They will come! However, I wanted to use this opportunity to emphasise that you should try to take your time with the content. Learning does not happen in a second, it takes time to learn, integrate and connect your learning to previous learning. You have until May 11 to complete these different sessions - about a day a week learning is expected from you. You can do this quicker or slower, as long as you submit your final assignment on 11th May. I will check submissions on 12th May at 08:00.
Before we start, please view this video to get acquainted with the sustainable development goals. After the millennium development goals, which were criticised for disease specific and working in vertical systems, silos, without sufficient interconnections, the UN came up with these. Health, equity, and gender are major themes within these goals, and they are integrally related to what we're going to be discussing during this course.
Another absolutely key reading is the attached reprint of Michael Marmot's social determinants of health - a publication from 1999 but still relevant today (see the attached). Please keep its contents in mind while going through the lectures and readings.
Please note that for practical matters the lecture videos on Obesity in China and all lecture videos on North Korea can be accessed via the Moodle e-learning platform of the University of Turku. You will find the relevant links to the UTU Moodle pages under the respective sections. In case you encounter any technical difficulties in accessing the Moodle platform, you can directly contact sabine.burghart@utu.fi.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions!
Salla - salla.atkins@tuni.fi
Module 1: Public health challenges
This module focuses on key public health challenges in the Asian region, with examples from different countries.
It's important to remember that while we discuss Asia as a region, each country has a different context. Population demographics, politics, infrastructure, health system and distribution of health staff all differ from country to country, and within country.
This course can therefore highlight examples from different settings, to start you thinking about these issues - but cannot claim to be an exhaustive resource of pure truth.
As an interesting tool to use when thinking about the global issues of health, and particular countries, have a look at Gapminder. This interactive tool: https://www.gapminder.org/tools/#$chart-type=bubbles
That resource gives you an opportunity to think and play around with country incomes, different health conditions and the environment, and even compare two different countries for their outcomes! It's not formally part of the course, but if you're interested in this field it has its uses. Gapminder also has a number of other different tools - including dollar street and the gapminder test - that allow you to explore the world - and look at how we might have misconceptions about it.
For the formal content, the first lecture is presented by me, introducing you to health systems, what they are and key issues to consider. In the second lecture we get introduced to maternal and child health in China. The third then gives you a taste of the optional fourth module, by discussing public health and health systems in North Korea (UTU Moodle). In the last lecture for this module we focus then on a particular public health issue, obesity, and its effects and prevalence in China.
UPDATE 11/3/2019 - Dale brought up a very important issue on the use of traditional healing and traditional healthcare's relationship to UHC. For this, I wanted to include this suggested reading on UHC, Asia and traditional healthcare services.
1.1. Overview of health and health systems in Asia: Associate professor Salla Atkins
The countries that encompass Asia are varied in demographics, in economies, histories, geographies and also health systems.
While it is not possible to enumerate and lump together all Asian countries into one, this presentation attempts to highlight trends that can be seen in the Asian/Pacific region. The lecture will also introduce central concepts that you can use later in the course.
Readings:
Balabanova, D., McKee, M., & Mills, A. (Eds.). (2011). ‘ Good health at low cost ’ 25 years on: What makes a successful health system? London: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. (Read chapter 6,8 and 9, rest if you want to!)
Bloom, G. (2019). Service Delivery Transformation for UHC in Asia and the Pacific. Health Systems & Reform, 5(1), 7–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/23288604.2018.1541498
UHC 2030 International Health Partnership. (2017). Healthy systems for universal health coverage -a joint vision for healthy lives. International Health Partnership, 1–28. Retrieved from https://www.uhc2030.org/fileadmin/uploads/uhc2030/Documents/About_UHC2030/mgt_arrangemts___docs/UHC2030_Official_documents/UHC2030_vision_paper_WEB2.pdf
1.2. Maternal and child health in China, Associate professor Jiang Hong
China is one of the countries progressed considerably in relation to the millennium development goals in 2015. The country has, still, some work to be done in ensuring equity for expectant mothers particularly in rural, hard-to-reach areas. This lecture introduces you to key issues in maternal and child health in China.
The lecture is posted on the Tampere University server. When clicking the link below, you will encounter a page that is completely in Finnish.
Enter the password in this section on the page:
And click the button "lähetä".
You can access the lecture from the Tampere server here:
https://moniviestin.uta.fi/videot/yhteiskuntatieteiden-tiedekunta/terveystiede/kurssit-2018/china-national-safe-motherhood-program
The password is safemo18. Please don't share this password further.
Required readings (two optional pdfs also appended below):
1. Victora CG, Requejo JH, Barros AJD, Berman P, Bhutta Z, Boerma T, et al. Countdown to 2015: A decade of tracking progress for maternal, newborn, and child survival. Lancet. 2016;387(10032):2049–59.
2. Veitch K. Medical law and the power of life and death. Int J Law Context. 2006;2(2):137–57.
3. National Health and Family Planning Commission C. Success Factors for Women ’ s and Children ’ s Health National Health and Family Planning Commission , China. Geneva; 2015.
4. The world health organization. World Health statistics 2016: monitoring health for the SDGs. Geneva; 2016. (Read chapters 4 and 5)
1.3. Public health & health systems in North Korea, Dr. John Grundy
Dr. John Grundy, Adjunct Research Fellow at the Department of Public Health and Tropical Medicine of James Cook University Australia.
Professor Grundy has been visiting the DPRK regularly since the mid-2000s and he is an internationally renowned expert on, among others, public health in North Korea and the country's public health system.
**This lecture video can be accessed via the Moodle e-learning platform of the University of Turku. Go to the UTU Moodle page https://moodle.utu.fi/course/view.php?id=15882. Log in via "External or Norssi account" in the right bottom corner (course key: NKhealth319).
Required readings:
John Grundy History, International Relations, and Public Health - The Case of The Democratic People’s Republic Of Korea 1953 – 2015 (North Korea) Korea’s Economy Vol. 31 2017 http://keia.org/sites/default/files/publications/koreaseconomy_ch8_history_international_relations.pdf
**This lecture video can be accessed via the Moodle e-learning platform of the University of Turku. Go to the UTU Moodle page https://moodle.utu.fi/course/view.php?id=15882. Log in via "External or Norssi account" in the right bottom corner (course key: NKhealth319).
Required readings:
John Grundy History, International Relations, and Public Health - The Case of The Democratic People’s Republic Of Korea 1953 – 2015 (North Korea) Korea’s Economy Vol. 31 2017 http://keia.org/sites/default/files/publications/koreaseconomy_ch8_history_international_relations.pdf
J Grundy, D Hipgrave, B A Biggs, Public health and international partnerships in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea PLOS Medicine. 2015 Published: December 29, 2015DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001929 http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001929
J Grundy, P Annear, K Bowen, BA Biggs The Responsibility to Protect: Inequities in international aid flows to Myanmar and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and their impact on maternal and child health Asia Studies Review May 2012 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10357823.2012.685449#.VPKFQ_mSwko
Grundy J, Moodie R, “An Approach to Health System Strengthening in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea)” International Journal of Health Planning and Management 2008; 23: 1–17
1.4. Obesity in China - university lecturer Outi Luova
The video lectures of this section can be accessed via UTU Moodle here:
https://moodle.utu.fi/course/view.php?id=15978.
The lectures were recorded in 2013 but the contents are still valid. The information about the current situation is provided by recent articles which you also find on the UTU Moodle page.
The first lecture “Obesity Crisis in China” is obligatory material, and the second lecture “Food safety in China” is optional.
When logging in UTU Moodle, use the "Log in as a guest" option in the right bottom corner.
Course key: China
Module 2: Health systems and human resources for health
Health systems cannot function without human resources. This module introduces both concepts - continuing on the theme of health systems with examples from China and India, and then zeroing in on human resource challenges and medical education. Human resources for health are one of the key building blocks of health systems. Without human resources, many of the health interventions we have today, from health promotion and prevention to more complicated surgery, would not happen. The WHO introduced a workforce strategy of 2030 in 2016 - you can watch their promotional video here (if you have access to youtube): . Hopefully this makes you think about how important it is to have equitable access to skilled health professionals.
Yet, human resources are inequitably distributed globally - with high income countries having the lion share of human resources, and drawing human resources from lower income countries. Within countries this inequity gets re-emphasised, with most trained skilled health personnel opting for cities instead of rural areas; private sector healthcare instead of public sector healthcare; externally funded disease programmes, and so on.
This module introduces health systems in China and India, followed by more specific case examples of human resources for health. After all, health systems don't function without appropriate human resources.
Lecture 1 focuses on the health system in China. While the lecture discusses the Chinese health system, it introduces you to issues that you should consider when looking at other countries' health systems.
Lecture 2 focuses on the Indian health system - use this opportunity to compare with China. How do these differ? What other information do you need to compare?
Lecture 3 discusses engaging the Democratic Republic of North Korea in medical education
Lecture 4 focuses on human resources in India: specifically informal providers. The idea of this presentation is to give a contextual example of health system challenges and their interrelatedness - and their eventual impacts on people who use the health systems.
2.1 Health System in China
This section of your course is presented by Dr Yang from Fudan University, China. He presents the different facets of the Chinese health system, discussing key successes and challenges.
China is one of the most populous countries in the world a country that has experienced extremely rapid development over the past few decades. Yet in the news we see nearly daily threats to population health, including air pollution.
Required readings:
1. Xiao, Y., Husain, L., & Bloom, G. (2018). Evaluation and learning in complex, rapidly changing health systems: China’s management of health sector reform. Globalization and Health, 14(1), 112. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-018-0429-7
2. Patel, V., Xiao, S., Chen, H., Hanna, F., Jotheeswaran, A. T., Luo, D., … Saxena, S. (2016). The magnitude of and health system responses to the mental health treatment gap in adults in India and China. The Lancet, 388(10063), 3074–3084. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)00160-4
Optional readings:
1. Meng, Q., Fang, H., Liu, X., Yuan, B., & Xu, J. (2015). Consolidating the social health insurance schemes in China: towards an equitable and efficient health system. The Lancet, 386(10002), 1484–1492. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00342-6
2. Hanson, K., Fu, Y., Hu, D., Zhang, M., Liu, X., Martinez-Alvarez, M., … Zhu, W. (2017). Development of village doctors in China: financial compensation and health system support. International Journal for Equity in Health, 16(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-016-0505-7
2.2. Health system in India, Associate professor Vishal Diwan
This lecture presents an overview of health systems in India. Please use the readings below to familiarise more with the Indian situation - a large nation with a large number of states.
The last paper is through a link, it should be accessible to all.
So far, I believe all of the papers are open access, so I've appended them here.
Readings:
1. Dandona, L., Dandona, R., Kumar, G. A., Shukla, D. K., Paul, V. K., Balakrishnan, K., … Swaminathan, S. (2017). Nations within a nation: variations in epidemiological transition across the states of India, 1990–2016 in the Global Burden of Disease Study. The Lancet, 390(10111), 2437–2460. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32804-0
2. Patel, V., Parikh, R., Nandraj, S., Balasubramaniam, P., Narayan, K., Paul, V. K., … Reddy, K. S. (2015). Assuring health coverage for all in India. The Lancet, 386(10011), 2422–2435. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00955-1
3. Reddy, K. S., Patel, V., Jha, P., Paul, V. K., Kumar, A. K. S., & Dandona, L. (2011). Towards achievement of universal health care in India by 2020: A call to action. The Lancet, 377(9767), 760–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61960-5
Optional reading:
1. Challenges to Healthcare in India - The Five A's Indian J Community Med. 2018 Jul-Sep; 43(3): 141–143. doi: 10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_194_18 Use this link to access: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6166510/?report=printable
2.3. The DPRK Medical Education System, Prof. Dr. Charlie Sands
Dr. Charlie Sands is Professor and Graduate Dean, Division of Medical Sciences, Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, Pyongyang, DPRK. Until his retirement he has been Professor at McWhorter School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
**This lecture video can be accessed via the Moodle e-learning platform of the University of Turku. Go to the UTU Moodle page https://moodle.utu.fi/course/view.php?id=15882. Log in via the "External or Norssi account" in the right bottom corner (course key: NKhealth319).
Required Readings:
World Health Organisation (2016) WHO Country Cooperation Strategy DPRK 2014-2019, New Delhi: WHO
DPRK Ministry of Public Health (2017) Medium Term Strategic Plan for the Development of the Health Sector DPR KOREA, Pyongyang: Ministry of Public Health
2.4. Informal providers in India - Associate professor Salla Atkins
One of the effects of the paucity of healthworkers globally, migration of healthworkers to countries, sectors, or settings with better salaries, better quality of life or for other workers, is the quality of care that people particularly in rural areas receive. The maldistribution of healthworkers - a phenomenon that is not unique to the Asian setting, affects mostly the rural areas.
This research that I am presenting as a case study, describes peoples' preferences in choosing their healthworker in village settings in central India. I keep wondering about the degree to which this is really a choice. Do people choose to opt for providers that they know are more poorly trained than formal providers? Perhaps they have beliefs about the effectiveness of traditional healers, for example. Or are they driven to this choice, by poverty, by poor infrastructure, by lack of providers where they are?
Please note a correction to the first slide: There is a gap of 18 million healthworkers estimated in 2030- the total need is 40 million(I had conflated these) - and in the text in the last slide - training informal providers does not necessarily equate quality care.
When presenting this research earlier on another course (and yes, I've updated it since), the participants, mainly medical doctors asked me what formal providers should do. Should they give services for payments in kind, chickens or grains? My answer at the time was that it would be unreasonable. More reasonable could be a health insurance that is available to all - and other insurance forms that also allow for covering the indirect costs of treatment, such as transport. More reasonable could be to look at policy options for getting health providers to the villagers. But as you know these decisions are part of health system governance, these decisions are done within the larger financing framework. What do you think is a reasonable option? Please reflect on this in the discussion forum.
Please see the readings below.
Readings:
1. Sudhinaraset, M., Ingram, M., Lofthouse, H. K., & Montagu, D. (2013). What Is the Role of Informal Healthcare Providers in Developing Countries? A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0054978
2. Gautham, M., Shyamprasad, K. M., Singh, R., Zachariah, A., Singh, R., & Bloom, G. (2014). Informal rural healthcare providers in North and South India. Health Policy and Planning, 29(SUPPL. 1), 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czt050
Optional readings:
1. Iles, R. A. (2019). Government doctor absenteeism and its effects on consumer demand in rural north India. Health Economics (United Kingdom), (December 2018), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.3858
2. Das, J., Chowdhury, A., Hussam, R., & Banerjee, A. V. (2016). The impact of training informal health care providers in India: A randomized controlled trial. Science, 354(6308). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf7384
Module 3: Environmental health
We cannot deny the impact that our environment has on our health. In the context of rapid urbanisation and rapid development, the environment can have huge impacts on how we life and on our health. At the same time, the environment is key to social determinants of health - those who are poor or discriminated against usually live in a poorer environment.
Creative commons image owned by CSLmedia Productions
The below readings give you a good overview of the environment and health, and some more specific issues. The lectures in this module, however, span from flooding to water, sanitation and hygiene, antimicrobial resistance (very important in health today!) and finally ending in an one health approach describing how we are inextricably connected with our environment.
Just for fun (and not part of your formal assessment), here's a quiz from National Geographic on pollution. Look out for the question about indoor air pollution, very important for human health. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-quiz/
Optional Readings
Textbooks
Environmental Health: From Global to Local (Public Health/Environmental Health) 3rd Edition. Ed. by Howard Frumkin (2016)
Environmental Health. Fourth Edition. Dade W. Moeller (2011). Harvard University Press.
Essentials of Environmental Health, Second Edition. Robert H. Friis (2012)
Classic book
Diamond, Jared. (1997) Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York. W.W. Norton. [Suom. Tykit, taudit ja teräs; 2003]
Relevant Articles
Impact of regional climate change on human health. Patz, J.A., Campbell-Lendrum, D., Holloway, T., Foley, J.A. 2005 Nature 438(7066), pp. 310-317
Climate change and human health: Present and future risks. McMichael, A.J., Woodruff, R.E., Hales, S. 2006 Lancet 367(9513), pp. 859-869
The Lancet commission on pollution and health: https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/pollution-and-health
Das, Horton: Pollution, health and the planet: time for decisive action: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32588-6/fulltext (register; it's free of charge)
Holmes et al 2018: Understanding the mechanisms and drivers of antimicrobial resistance. https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(15)00473-0.pdf
3.1 The environment and health - Dr Jutta Pulkki
Several approaches exist to safeguard health in the era of eco-system crises. In this lecture three most influential concepts at the moment, One Health, EcoHealth, and Planetary Health, are presented and compared revealing their similarities and differences. As these approaches seem, however, to ignore the root reasons why the ecosystem crisis - and thus new threats to human health - are occurring in a first place, also more or less unknown eco-social approach to health is presented.
The purpose of the lecture is to add knowledge regarding the important approaches in the field and to offer conceptual tools to discern the knowledge of the interlinkage of health and ecological issues.
The lecture is posted on the Tampere University server. When clicking the link below, you will encounter a page that is completely in Finnish.
Enter the password in this section on the page:
And click the button "lähetä".
You can access the lecture here:
https://moniviestin.uta.fi/videot/yhteiskuntatieteiden-tiedekunta/terveystiede/kurssit2019/pghes07/
The password is: healthsystems
Readings:
Roger, F., Caron, A., Morand, S., Pedrono, M., de Garine-Wichatitsky, M., Chevalier, C., … Binot, A. (2016). One Health and EcoHealth: the same wine in different bottles? Infection Ecology & Epidemiology: The One Health Journal.
Lerner, H., & Berg, C. (2017). A Comparison of Three Holistic Approaches to Health: One Health, EcoHealth, and Planetary Health. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 4(September), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2017.00163
Hancock, T. (2015). Population health promotion 2.0: An eco-social approach to public health in the Anthropocene. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 106(4), e252–e255. https://doi.org/10.17269/cjph.106.5161
3.2. Flooding - Dr Carlos Gundran
This presentation was made by Dr Gundran from the Philippines when he was visiting Tampere University.
Extreme weather conditions are likely to increase, and with that, flooding. Flooding can cause drowning in the first place, but it can also increase other health conditions and cause other injuries. Dr Gundran is an expert in disaster medicine and kindly put together this lecture to give you an idea of what impacts flooding has on health and health systems.
The lecture is posted on the Tampere University server. When clicking the link below, you will encounter a page that is completely in Finnish.
Enter the password in this section on the page "anna polkuavain" and click the button "lähetä"
You can access the recordings of this lecture through this link:
Section 1: https://moniviestin.uta.fi/videot/yhteiskuntatieteiden-tiedekunta/terveystiede/kurssit-2018/floods
password tulvat811
Readings for this lecture:
1. World Health Organization Western Pacific Region. (2018). Environmental health in selected asian countries. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific. - Read climate change and healthy cities OR choose three countries to study from this document
2. Saulnier, D. D., Brolin Ribacke, K., & Von Schreeb, J. (2017). No Calm after the Storm: A Systematic Review of Human Health Following Flood and Storm Disasters. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 32(5), 568–579. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X17006574
3.3. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene - Associate professor Vishal Diwan
This presentation discusses the important environmental issue of water, sanitation, and hygiene. Over 1000 children die every day from preventable diseases related to water and sanitation. Rapid urbanisation and lack of appropriate infrastructure contribute towards sanitation and hygiene challenges, particularly in low-and middle-income countries.
This is something that we don't often think of, particularly here in the Nordics, where water and sanitation facilities are in abundance and we've perhaps too few people, not too many! In Asia, however, this remains an important environmental challenge.
Readings alongside this lecture:
1. Campbell, O. M. R., Benova, L., Gon, G., Afsana, K., & Cumming, O. (2015). Getting the basic rights - the role of water, sanitation and hygiene in maternal and reproductive health: A conceptual framework. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 20(3), 252–267. https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.12439
2. Dangour, A. D., Watson, L., Cumming, O., Boisson, S., Che, Y., Velleman, Y., … Uauy, R. (2013). Interventions to improve water quality and supply, sanitation and hygiene practices, and their effects on the nutrition status of children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Online). 8, CD009382. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, (8). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD009382.pub2.www.cochranelibrary.com
Optional readings:
1. Troeger, C., Forouzanfar, M., Rao, P. C., Khalil, I., Brown, A., Reiner, R. C., … Mokdad, A. H. (2017). Estimates of global, regional, and national morbidity, mortality, and aetiologies of diarrhoeal diseases: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 17(9), 909–948. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30276-1
2.World Health Organization (WHO). (2018). Water , Sanitation And Hygiene strategy 2018-2025. Geneva.
3.4. Antimicrobial resistance - Associate professor Vishal Diwan
Antimicrobial resistance is a key challenge in health systems today. If we don't have antibiotics, we return back to a time where common infections and injuries could kill. Resistance is growing, due to poor antibiotic stewardship and irresponsible use. This presentation by associate professor Diwan gives an overview of this issue in India.
Required readings:
Larsson, D. G. J., Andremont, A., Bengtsson-Palme, J., Brandt, K. K., de Roda Husman, A. M., Fagerstedt, P., … Wernersson, A. S. (2018). Critical knowledge gaps and research needs related to the environmental dimensions of antibiotic resistance. Environment International. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.04.041
Berendonk, T. U., Manaia, C. M., Merlin, C., Fatta-Kassinos, D., Cytryn, E., Walsh, F., … Martinez, J. L. (2015). Tackling antibiotic resistance: The environmental framework. Nature Reviews Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3439
Suggested readings:
Kümmerer, K. (2009). Antibiotics in the aquatic environment - A review - Part I. Chemosphere. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.11.086
Kümmerer, K. (2009). Antibiotics in the aquatic environment - A review - Part II. Chemosphere. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.12.006
Finley, R. L., Collignon, P., Larsson, D. G. J., Mcewen, S. A., Li, X. Z., Gaze, W. H., … Topp, E. (2013). The scourge of antibiotic resistance: The important role of the environment. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cit355
===========
OPTIONAL MODULE 4 STARTS HERE: Health in North Korea
Students can earn an extra credit (1 ECTS) on a topic of their choice (see instructions below) by submitting a 1,500 word essay for the optional module (Module IV).
**All lecture videos of this module can be accessed via the Moodle e-learning platform of the University of Turku.
Go to the UTU Moodle page https://moodle.utu.fi/course/view.php?id=15882.
Log in via "External or Norssi account" in the right bottom corner (course key: NKhealth319).
=======================
How to write an essay
An essay is a research report, which sets out a cogent and structured argument on a particular subject. A well-considered structure and a clear approach are the very basis for a good essay. An essay invariably begins with a research question, which the student seeks to answer.
Good essay writing lies in the quality of your argument and the level of analysis you employ. Your essay must therefore go beyond mere description and narrative. It is not enough just to tell a story, or just to compile some facts pertinent to your topic, or to merely recount what you have read about the topic. Your essay should present your own thoughts on the problem you are writing about.
An argument is a statement or point of view on your research question(s), backed up by adequate evidence. The quality of the argument is measured by how persuasive it is. At all times you need to support your answer to the research question with an argument, rather than simply regurgitating the facts.
When writing an essay, you should be prepared to spend extra time for finding sources. Footnotes as well as a full bibliography or list of references shall be included.
Basic essay structure:
Introduction:
This includes a clearly stated thesis/argument and a research question or set of research questions.
The thesis/argument and research question set the tone of the entire essay. Thus, the introduction must make readers immediately aware of the point being made
Body/Main Text:
This contains the argument, complete discussion, and supporting evidence.
It stays on target and thoroughly supports the thesis/hypothesis. Wandering arguments will distract the reader.
Organization is the key to the body/main text because it provides direction and guides the flow of your writing.
The body/main text contains a succession of paragraphs, each of which includes a topic sentence, develops one main idea, and has a transition sentence linking it to the next paragraph.
Conclusion:
This recaps the thesis statement and the essay’s main points. You need to drive your point home one more time.
Here is the place to present a closing statement of your position, make suggestions for future research, or present alternative ways of approaching the subject.
======================
North Korea module discussion forum
4.1 Health development in DPRK and the contribution of international assistance, Dr. Eigil Sorensen
Dr. Eigil Sorensen MD, MPH, M.Sc.(EPID) of the Faculty of Public Health of Thammasat University, Thailand. Dr. Sorensen served as the WHO's first Representative in the DPRK after the WHO's full country office was established in Pyongyang in 2001.
Readings:
Democratic People‘s Republic of Korea. SOCIO-ECONOMIC, DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEY 2014.Central Bureau of Statistics, Pyongyang, DPRK & United Nations Population Fund
Situation analysis of children and women In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea– 2017. UNICEF, 2016.
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA MULTIPLE INDICATOR CLUSTER SURVEY 2017. UNICEF DPRK. June 2018.
World health statistics 2018: monitoring health for the SDGs, sustainable development goals. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018.
Towards Sustainable and Resilient Human Development. The strategic framework for cooperation between the United Nations and the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 2017-2021.
DPRK Socio-Economic Demographic and Health Survey 2014File
UNICEF 2016File
UNICEF 2018 Korea DPR 2017 MICSFile
WHO 2018 World Health StatisticsFile
DPRK UN Strategic Framework 2017-2021File
4.2 HOPE B DPRK: Hepatitis Overview and Program to trEat, Dr. Alice Lee
Dr. Alice Lee, a Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, is Associate Professor at University of Sydney & Macquarie University. She is also senior staff specialist at Concord Repatriation General Hospital and Co-Founder and Director of Hepatitis B Free. Furthermore, she serves as Hepatitis Program Director with Christian Friends of Korea. In 2017, Dr. Lee received the Hepatitis NSW (HNSW) Cheryl Burman Award for her work on viral hepatitis in the Asia-Pacific Region. She has directed prevention and treatment programs, educated health workers and collaborated with researchers and health officials not only in North Korea but also, among others, in Myanmar and Japan.
Readings:
Lee, Alice Unah; Heidi Linton, Marcia Kilsby and David C. Hilmers, “A Program to Treat Hepatitis B in North Korea: A Model of Antiviral Therapy in a Resource-Poor Setting, Gut and Liver, Vol. 12, No. 6, November 2018, pp. 615-622
LeeFile
Hepatitis B – Explained by AURL
NGO Engagement: Strengthening North Korea's health sector, Heidi Linton
Heidi Linton is Executive Director of the non-profit organisation Christian Friends of Korea (CFK, https://www.cfk.org/). CFK has been providing support to more than 30 care centers including the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NRL), 7 provincial tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis hospitals, and nearly 18 TB and hepatitis rest homes located throughout the DPRK. More information about CFK's projects can be found in the article by Linton:
LintonFile
SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY FOR MODULE 4 HERE
Deadline: 11 May 2019 (EEST UTC +3)
Essay on North KoreaAssignment
Students can earn an extra credit (1 ECTS) on a topic of their choice (see instructions below) by submitting a 1,500 word essay for the optional module (Module IV).
**All lecture videos of this module can be accessed via the Moodle e-learning platform of the University of Turku.
Go to the UTU Moodle page https://moodle.utu.fi/course/view.php?id=15882.
Log in via "External or Norssi account" in the right bottom corner (course key: NKhealth319).
=======================
How to write an essay
An essay is a research report, which sets out a cogent and structured argument on a particular subject. A well-considered structure and a clear approach are the very basis for a good essay. An essay invariably begins with a research question, which the student seeks to answer.
Good essay writing lies in the quality of your argument and the level of analysis you employ. Your essay must therefore go beyond mere description and narrative. It is not enough just to tell a story, or just to compile some facts pertinent to your topic, or to merely recount what you have read about the topic. Your essay should present your own thoughts on the problem you are writing about.
An argument is a statement or point of view on your research question(s), backed up by adequate evidence. The quality of the argument is measured by how persuasive it is. At all times you need to support your answer to the research question with an argument, rather than simply regurgitating the facts.
When writing an essay, you should be prepared to spend extra time for finding sources. Footnotes as well as a full bibliography or list of references shall be included.
Basic essay structure:
Introduction:
This includes a clearly stated thesis/argument and a research question or set of research questions.
The thesis/argument and research question set the tone of the entire essay. Thus, the introduction must make readers immediately aware of the point being made
Body/Main Text:
This contains the argument, complete discussion, and supporting evidence.
It stays on target and thoroughly supports the thesis/hypothesis. Wandering arguments will distract the reader.
Organization is the key to the body/main text because it provides direction and guides the flow of your writing.
The body/main text contains a succession of paragraphs, each of which includes a topic sentence, develops one main idea, and has a transition sentence linking it to the next paragraph.
Conclusion:
This recaps the thesis statement and the essay’s main points. You need to drive your point home one more time.
Here is the place to present a closing statement of your position, make suggestions for future research, or present alternative ways of approaching the subject.
======================
4.1 Health development in DPRK and the contribution of international assistance, Dr. Eigil Sorensen
Dr. Eigil Sorensen MD, MPH, M.Sc.(EPID) of the Faculty of Public Health of Thammasat University, Thailand. Dr. Sorensen served as the WHO's first Representative in the DPRK after the WHO's full country office was established in Pyongyang in 2001.
Readings:
Democratic People‘s Republic of Korea. SOCIO-ECONOMIC, DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEY 2014.Central Bureau of Statistics, Pyongyang, DPRK & United Nations Population Fund
Situation analysis of children and women In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea– 2017. UNICEF, 2016.
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA MULTIPLE INDICATOR CLUSTER SURVEY 2017. UNICEF DPRK. June 2018.
World health statistics 2018: monitoring health for the SDGs, sustainable development goals. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018.
Towards Sustainable and Resilient Human Development. The strategic framework for cooperation between the United Nations and the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 2017-2021.
4.2 HOPE B DPRK: Hepatitis Overview and Program to trEat, Dr. Alice Lee
Dr. Alice Lee, a Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, is Associate Professor at University of Sydney & Macquarie University. She is also senior staff specialist at Concord Repatriation General Hospital and Co-Founder and Director of Hepatitis B Free. Furthermore, she serves as Hepatitis Program Director with Christian Friends of Korea. In 2017, Dr. Lee received the Hepatitis NSW (HNSW) Cheryl Burman Award for her work on viral hepatitis in the Asia-Pacific Region. She has directed prevention and treatment programs, educated health workers and collaborated with researchers and health officials not only in North Korea but also, among others, in Myanmar and Japan.
Readings:
Lee, Alice Unah; Heidi Linton, Marcia Kilsby and David C. Hilmers, “A Program to Treat Hepatitis B in North Korea: A Model of Antiviral Therapy in a Resource-Poor Setting, Gut and Liver, Vol. 12, No. 6, November 2018, pp. 615-622
NGO Engagement: Strengthening North Korea's health sector, Heidi Linton
Heidi Linton is Executive Director of the non-profit organisation Christian Friends of Korea (CFK, https://www.cfk.org/). CFK has been providing support to more than 30 care centers including the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NRL), 7 provincial tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis hospitals, and nearly 18 TB and hepatitis rest homes located throughout the DPRK. More information about CFK's projects can be found in the article by Linton:
SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY FOR MODULE 4 HERE
Deadline: 11 May 2019 (EEST UTC +3)
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