3.5 Environmental health

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Q participants at a seminar on family planning for Mch teaching faculties and nursing administrators in 1973.

The project involved a series of activities for family planning that focused on MCH and health care; provided scholarships to three employees of hospitals in Chungnam, Namwon and Andong; and covered the expenses for other consumables, equipment and local health projects. This project was later integrated into the national family planning programme, laying the foundation for the promotion of integrated activities on MCH and family planning in 102 hospitals across the country.

In 1969, the Christian Medical Commission under the World Council of Churches provided MCH services in Siljeon, a village on the remote Geoje Island, which had no doctors, by establishing the Geoje Community Development and Health Centre (or Siljeon Centre) as part of the Geoje Island Community Health and Development Pilot Project. At that time, 25% of the residents in the province of Gyeongsangnam-do (about 30 000) benefited from this project, and the budget for prenatal tests was supported by the local medical insurance, which was approved by the Government. Through these strategies, the rate of prenatal tests increased from 1% to 40% (58).

From August 1966 to January 1968, WHO implemented an environmental health project aimed at enhancing the hygiene services offered by the Public Health Department, building potable water-supply facilities in urban and rural areas, improving the treatment of excreta and other waste matter, enhancing food hygiene, and controlling disease vectors.

Soon after, the Government of the Republic of Korea and WHO agreed on the terms of the Pre-Investment Survey of the Nakdong River Basin (K-0044 Project), which was carried out from April 1969 to March 1970, in cooperation with various international organizations including UNDP and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The survey gained much interest for the prevention of pollution of rivers and the securing of hygienic water quality. WHO dispatched a sanitary engineer to provide consultation on all matters related to environmental health services and hygiene infrastructure for migration planning. The WHO consultant stayed in the Republic of Korea for 14 months, supporting the setting up of plans for research on water quality and requirements of industrial water in the Nakdong River basin, and submitting forecast reports in 1971, 1976, 1981 and 1986 (59).

WHO carried out a series of consultations on environmental health in the Republic of Korea in 1975. From July to September 1975, WHO carried out a consultation on air pollution control, providing advice to the Government on its plan to train personnel and to establish an air pollution control programme. During a consultation on water pollution control, conducted from July to August 1975, WHO was involved in training personnel, monitoring water quality, and establishing plans for related projects. According to the water investigation at this point, from the late 1970s to early 1980s, the low-lying areas of the Han River were

seriously contaminated by the inflow of untreated domestic and industrial waste, and thus the water was not suitable for use as tap water. Moreover, the biological oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen concentration and heavy metal concentration exceeded the Republic of Korea’s legally allowed limits for water pollution. Finally, from October to November 1975, during a consultation on radiation control, WHO offered information on the safe use of ionized and non-ionized radiation, supported the operation of a training programme for radiation health personnel and the development of radiation dosimetry, and provided consultation on future planning. That same year, in October, a WHO adviser extensively researched the need for improved sewage treatment in Seoul and other big cities. The data collected were used to formulate a General Plan on the Treatment of Sewage and Waste in the Metropolitan Area (60).

In March 1979, WHO Director-General Halfdan Mahler visited the Republic of Korea to evaluate the environmental health projects, including their impact on safe drinkingwater supply and environmental preservation. He concluded that the projects had been successfully implemented (61).

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Q park chung-hee, president of the republic of Korea (centre), awards the order of diplomatic service Merit to hafdan Mahler, Who directorgeneral (left) and francisco dy, Who regional director for the Western pacific (second from left), in March 1979.