North Korean authorities recently launched an investigation at the Myohyangsan (Mount Myohyang) Medical Applicances Factory after it was found that medical devices distributed to hospitals nationwide have not been working properly.
“The Myohyangsan Medical Appliances Factory informed the authorities that it had exceeded its production plan for the first half of the year. But complaints have flooded in from various hospitals that devices produced at the factory are poorly made and do not function properly. That led the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party to conduct an investigation at the factory in July,” a source in North Pyongan Province told Daily NK on Aug. 2, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
The Myohyangsan Medical Appliances Factory produces devices for the ear, nose, and throat (ENT), ophthalmology and dentistry departments of hospitals, along with a range of other minor medical devices. Hospital workers began filing complaints when equipment shipped from the factory malfunctioned or stopped working in the middle of treatments.
The issue was eventually brought to the attention of the Central Committee, which ordered the Central Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Public Health to put together a task force to investigate the factory. The investigation took two weeks, stretching from July 8 to 23.
Speed over quality
Investigators determined that the medical equipment produced by the factory in the first quarter of the year had no issues. But after that, factory managers came up with a plan to exceed their planned output, and the resulting slapdash approach to production caused product quality to decline.
The North Korean authorities ordered the factory to address the issue as it carries out its production plan for the second half of the year. Managers were sternly warned that there will be legal consequences if the factory continues to produce defective devices.
“The investigators told factory management that being ambitious about production is praiseworthy, but they should have realized the need to immediately catch any technical issues that may crop up in the process,” the source said.
“The investigators found particularly severe problems in the technical department and questioned each of the technicians and the managers in charge of technical production indicators.”
The mood at the factory is bleak, and workers are disheartened to face an investigation from the Central Committee after working so hard to exceed their planned output for the first half of the year, the source said.
Meanwhile, the factory’s party committee is striving to cheer up the mood by encouraging workers to boost production despite the investigation.
However, the factory remains in turmoil since the North Korean authorities are framing defective production as an ideological issue. Given rumors that someone will be held legally responsible for the fiasco, the managers are all keeping a wary eye on each other, the source said.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources who live inside North Korea, China and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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