Medical infrastructure in North Korea needs to improve substantially according to a report by World Health Organization. The country needs to modernize medical equipment, apart from making sure that there is a regular supply of medicines. It also needs to lay a special emphasis on preventing malnutrition among pregnant women and young children.

WHO Chief, Dr. Margaret Chen was on a visit to North Korea last week. She stressed that the Government needs to seriously improve the health care services in the country. She also witnessed anemia among pregnant women in large numbers.

WHO Chief also went on a visit to a rural hospital in the country. It was the first visit by a WHO Chief since 2001 to the country ruled by a communist regime.

U. N. reports put the number of people needing food assistance in North Korea at around 8.7 million. North Korea has to rely on food imports for feeding the majority of its population. It is facing this problem since the mid-1990s after the country suffered natural calamities and also the collapse of Soviet Union seriously hurt the country.

There have been some improvements though over the last few years due to the help of U. N. and various food agencies. The country boasts of high rates of child immunization, tuberculosis vaccination apart from a successful control of a recent malaria outbreak.

WHO Chief had been invited by the North Korean government for a visit last week.