Oriental medicine doctor recounts service in Uzbekistan

A Korean traditional Oriental medicine doctor learned that volunteering is more about one’s self than others, after taking care of patients for three years in Uzbekistan.

``When you help other people in need, you realize that you’re receiving a lot of help from them also _ you learn so many valuable things,” said Song Young-il, professor at the Oriental Hospital of Daejeon University, in a phone interview with The Korea Times.

Song returned to Korea last year after finishing 3 years of medical volunteer work in Uzbekistan, which he recalls as a “life-changing experience.”

“Before I went to Uzbekistan, I was in a state of complacency and dissatisfied with my life. But the experience in Uzbekistan has completely changed my life and given me a new vision for my future,” Song said.

To share his experience in Uzbekistan, he has recently published a book, “Waking up in an Oasis (Oasiseseo Jameul Ggaeda).”

His adventure began as he chose to work as a volunteer doctor instead of joining the Korean army as a medical doctor.

In Uzbekistan, his first mission was to take care of locals who needed medical attention and treatment, but he is also very proud of promoting Korean Oriental medicine while doing his work.

“There are a lot of people who can’t afford any medical treatment because of financial difficulties. So I worked hard to help them, but at the same time, they got to know the excellence of Korean traditional medicine. Most people there thought Oriental medicine is just something from China,” Song said.

While he worked in Uzbekistan, he published an Oriental medicine book in Russian to help local doctors learn more about Korean traditional medicine. He also set up a Korean Oriental medicine society to promote and share the knowledge and related treatments.

“When I think back, most of my attempts could be seen as foolish. I was so aggressive and direct. I visited governmental officers and persuaded them to help me out. But I think volunteer work doesn’t need so much planning. ‘Doing’ is more important than ‘thinking,’ that is especially true when it comes to volunteer work,” Song said.

He hopes that his fellow doctors can keep promoting Korean Oriental medicine in Uzbekistan even after he departed, for which he plans to contribute to in the future.

Song also has another reason to recall his experience in Uzbekistan as life-changing. He met his wife, another Korean in Uzbekistan, who worked for the Korea International Cooperation Agency which arranged the volunteer work for Song.

“I think the experience indeed offered me a lot of valuable things,” Song said.