Cancer stricken undocumented woman receives life saving medical care through an unregulated, no deductible, no network medical sharing program.
Cancer-stricken N. Korean defector in China receives funds from fellow defectors
SOURCE: Cancer-stricken N. Korean defector in China receives funds from fellow defectors
Many defectors in China cannot receive proper treatment if they get sick, a source told Daily NK
By Lee Chae Un
2023.12.18
North Korean defectors living in China’s Jilin Province recently collected RMB 10,000 (around USD 1,400) for a fellow defector suffering from cancer, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a Daily NK source in China said Wednesday that the cancer-stricken defector — a 50-year-old individual identified as “A” — received the money late last month.
Accompanied by her Chinese husband, “A” visited the hospital in February after feeling unwell. Defectors cannot even receive hospital checkups without identification papers, so she paid a bribe by leveraging her connections to obtain a medical examination. As a result of the test, she learned she had untreatable cancer.
“A” had to begin treatment immediately. However, unable to receive treatment without identification papers and facing prohibitive medical costs, she gave up on treatment and suffered with her illness for 10 months.
Anxious over her impending death and frustrated by the helplessness of her situation, “A” suffered psychologically as her health continued to decline. She lost so much weight that nobody could recognize her, saddening her friends and family.
Another defector who lived in the same neighborhood as “A” and frequently interacted with her shared her plight with other defectors she knew. She also informed fellow defectors in a messaging app chat room, initiating a collection for their sick countrywoman.
The source said North Korean defectors in China who heard about the woman’s situation began the collection since what was happening to her — wasting away from disease while receiving no proper treatment due to a lack of identification papers — could just as easily happen to them. They also wanted to encourage her by collecting what they could to show her she was not alone.
The group collected RMB 10,000 in a day and a half, with even defectors who did not know “A” sending money.
Upon receiving the money, the woman expressed gratitude, saying she “couldn’t even dream” of receiving such kindness. “I really resented getting sick, and it was so hard thinking I would die like this alone,” she said. “With even people who don’t know me helping, thank you so much. Even if I die, I won’t forget this.”
“The woman’s situation demonstrates the situation faced by defectors living in China,” the source said. “Defectors living here — having risked their lives to escape poverty — not only have to live in fear and anxiety of being repatriated because they lack IDs, but they can’t even receive proper treatment if they get sick.”
“Faced with this situation, some defectors risk the dangers and try going to South Korea, but they keep failing and getting arrested by the Chinese police,” he said. “Unless the path to South Korea opens, defectors in China won’t be able to escape this life of pain.”
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.
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