A Glimpse at North Korea: Pyongyang Maternity Hospital

The first impression leaves you with a strange feeling, you see women in striped pyjamas. We had a tour around the hospital and were joined by the director of the hospital, which shows that the Hospital isn’t visited often but often enough. Photography was allowed, which shows that they are quite proud of this hospital, which will excel all others in North Korea. All births of the Pyongyang region take place in this hospital and all women with a risk pregnancy are transferred there, too. The hospital also looks at non obstetric gynaecology patients, but we didn’t see them. We’ve seen the equipment, which sometimes new but most of the times outdated.


Prior to delivery women enter the hospital and then contacts are only by phone and TV. This might keep the infection rate down, but it’s also a way of showing off a totalitarian state. Dressed in a striped pyjama you don’t jay-walk into the neighbourhood of the hospital.