Sanctions On North Korea Worsening Humanitarian Crisis, Access To Health Care Supplies, Expert Writes In Opinion Piece

USA TODAY: Doctor: I deliver health care in North Korea. Sanctions make the humanitarian crisis worse.
Kee B. Park, lecturer on global health and social medicine and lead for the Korea Policy Project at Harvard Medical School, and director of the North Korea Program at the Korean American Medical Association

“…As one of the few American physicians who has worked to deliver humanitarian aid and improve health care in North Korea, I have seen how the North Korean doctors have adapted to scarcity. … The current sanctions are making matters worse. Critical parts for vital medical equipment are no longer able to be quickly and effectively imported. … The United Nations Security Council, the United States, and other countries that have imposed sanctions on North Korea bear some of the responsibility for the worsening humanitarian crisis. … The international community is rightly concerned with the humanitarian conditions inside North Korea. But we cannot hold these positions while also supporting policies that exacerbate the problem. The time is now to lift sanctions that harm and hamper the delivery of lifesaving medical and humanitarian aid…” (11/7).

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