He said that to provide the people with a modern general ophthalmic hospital was his longtime plan and desire.

After watching its layout and ground plan, he went round the hospital under construction to give instructions for it.

What is important in building the hospital is to ensure good interior and exterior construction so as to make the most of its characteristics as a multi-functional and general health service center even manufacturing glasses, he said.

He stressed the need to build outpatient and sick wards and glasses shop in keeping with the modern aesthetic taste and in favor of treatment of the patients and service activities.

He said that preparations should be made well in advance for smooth operation of the hospital while speeding up its construction.

The hospital should be built into the country's most developed ophthalmic one, he said, adding that the Party would be entirely responsible for the provision of modern medical equipment and various furnishings necessary for its operation.

He also said the Party would provide the sufficient material and technical means to the hospital's glasses shop so that it can manufacture glasses on the basis of scientific diagnosis and prescription and serve glasses of various types and functions according to the tastes, sex and age of citizens.

When the Ryugyong General Ophthalmic Hospital is built, we can say that we have built various kinds of modern medical service centers one by one every year recently, he noted, saying this is a powerful demonstration of the advantage of our socialist healthcare system in which the Party and the state take full responsibility for the life and health of the people.

He expressed belief that the builders would successfully complete the construction of the hospital before Oct. 10, the founding anniversary of the WPK.

Accompanying him were Department Director Kim Yong Su and Vice-Department Director Jo Yong Won of the WPK Central Committee and Ma Won Chun, director of the Designing Department of the NDC.