University Columbia University Networks Global Alumni
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
People used to be ignorant of them, sometimes fearing or looking down on them calling them lepers or deformed. But now we know that Hansen's disease sufferers are no different from any other people stricken with an illness, and are not to be feared.
``If found at its early stage, it can be cured through drug treatment,'' Kang Hey-song, nurse at the National Sorokdo Hospital, said.
The 32 year-old-woman is among the list of 12 people receiving awards from the minister of health and welfare in commemoration of Hansen Family's Day on Thursday.
The German Leprosy Relief Association, which helped found a farm for Hansen's disease patients and provided them with medical services in Korea along with two patients at the hospital, eight businessmen and lawyers were awarded with Kang for their efforts to support the patients.
Kang, who has worked for the hospital since 1996, said the hospital is almost like a big family. ``There are 640 patients, 204 staff and dozens of volunteers, and we all feel like we know each other well and feel very bonded. There are ups and downs, some patients do give me a hard time, but I really regret nothing about coming here,'' Kang said.
She participated in the phone interview in order to promote greater awareness of the disease. ``It is not contagious, the exact mechanism of transmission of the disease is still not known, but we know that people with a weak immune system are at greater risk of contracting it,'' she said.
The nurse said that life for Hanson's disease sufferers is improving. Earlier this year, the Japanese government compensated disease victims who suffered from maltreatment under Japanese colonialism. The Korean government is also providing a majority of patients with subsidies according to their level of disability.
Still, Kang feels that many people shun sufferers of the disease. ``We need more long-term volunteers and we need more people to treat them as people,'' she added.
The Hansen Family's Day was established to commemorate the foundation of the hospital in 1959. Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Byun Jae-jin, Park Geun-hye, former chairman of the Grand National Party and about 5,000 guests attended the ceremony.