A ceremony of awarding the February 16 Science and Technology Prize was held in March at the People’s Palace of Culture.
At the ceremony a Science and Technology Innovation Prize was conferred on the “Establishment of the method of managing trophoblastic diseases".
As a registration and control system, the achievement makes it possible to prevent trophoblastic diseases fatal for women and diagnose them at their early stage.
Thanks to the system, young women registered as patients with hydatidiform mole can be cured by chemical therapy without extracting organs and have normal pregnancy and delivery.
With this method introduced in hospitals in Pyongyang, the mortality rate due to trophoblastic diseases has reduced to zero.
In addition, the system of managing and treating trophoblastic diseases by means of tumour marker has been introduced across the country, earning it a recognition as the country’s most developed registration and management system in oncology.
The honouree and key developer of the system is Kim Pok Sun, a researcher at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital which is affectionately called “my parents’ home” among Korean women.
She has devoted more than 40 years, nay almost all her life, to the research into these diseases.
When she started to work at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital in the early 1980s, she launched into the research work with a resolve to uncover the secret of the diseases.
It was by no means easy to embark on an untrodden path. She had to carry out the tasks she had voluntarily taken upon herself, while looking after her family. Many difficulties cropped up.
Nothing daunted her and thanks to the active help of the officials and researchers at the hospital she succeeded in establishing the method of managing trophoblastic diseases for the first time in the country, thus contributing to treating women’s diseases.
During this period she wrote many books and essays on her research and was awarded certificates of registered sci-tech achievements and highly appreciated at several sci-tech symposiums.
She became a professor and doctor and won the title of candidate academician in Juche 111 (2022) for having made a remarkable contribution to the development of the country’s obstetrics and gynaecology and trained medical workers.
She said: “Ours is not a success achieved by the efforts of our research team alone. It is a success made thanks to the benevolence of our Party and state which always respect our women and pay close concern to their health. I will redouble my efforts and increase the present success.”
Though she is 74 years old this year, she still works hard to attain a higher goal.
