In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea the birth of triplets or quadruplets is regarded as an auspicious event, a sign of fortune, for the country, and the government pays special attention to bringing them up and providing them with medical services. This reality draws the attention of the world.

About 70 years ago, after the country was liberated on August 15, 1945 from the Japanese military occupation (1905-1945), the first triplets were born one July day in 1947.

On hearing the news from an official, Kim Il Sung said: It is an auspicious event; an old saying goes that the birth of more than one baby is a sign of fortune for the country; how good it will be when the newly-born triplets grow up well to be pillars of the country.

He then ensured that nutrients, clothes and baby wrappers necessary for bringing up the triplets were supplied to them, and had the state take responsibility for and special care of triplets and their mothers.

Today women in pregnancy of more than one baby give births to the babies in the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, which is well-known to the world, enjoying all kinds of convenience and conditions; they are delivered of the babies in the hospital regardless of the length of pregnancy, place of residence and occupations. When they live in provinces, they can go to the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital with only the case history sheets issued by the local hospitals.

One pregnant woman, who was living in Nampho on the West Sea of Korea, came to the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital for medical examination, and the result was that she was pregnant with quadruplets. After about 50 days in the hospital, she gave easy births to the babies, but she and the babies were not in good health. Born in the eighth month, each of the babies weighed not even a half of a normal baby.

The quadruplets were removed to incubators, and their mother recovered her health with the help of nutrients including a large amount of wild honey provided by the state.

After about 200 days in the hospital, where they received devoted treatment from competent doctors and nurses, they were discharged in good health. If the medical benefits they received for more than 200 days in the hospital had been calculated in financial terms in the capitalist countries where delivery charge is USD 10 000, the daily in-patient charge for the newly-born is USD 1 400 and the maximum daily in-patient charge for its mother is USD 1 200, they must have cost a fortune. But the mother and her family members did not know how much the medical treatment they had received cost. This is a typical and vivid example of the free medical service system of this country.

A well-regulated information system is established in this country; if a woman in pregnancy of more than one baby is going to give births to babies unexpectedly or earlier than expected date, a medical team is immediately sent to her living area to either bring them to the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital or deliver the babies in the place in case of emergency.

When a woman living in Kapsan County, Ryanggang Province, was delivered of triplets, the government sent a plane together with doctors and nurses of the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital to the area. The woman and babies were taken to the hospital by the aircraft under the supervision of doctors and nurses. Thanks to the devoted medical treatment of doctors, they, who had been in a critical state, were discharged from the hospital in good health.

They also did not know how much the treatment they had received cost, let alone the travel expenses by aircraft.