Medical care for children in Western Siberia during the Great Patriotic War.

Abstract

The subject of the study is the study of the main directions of medical care for children of Western Siberia during the Great Patriotic War. Based on previously unpublished documents, data on the organization of measures for the medical and sanitary care of evacuated children, the development of a network of specialized children's institutions located in the department of the People's Commissariat of Health: nurseries, orphanages, children's hospitals and polyclinics, consultations, maternity homes, etc. were analyzed. Materials on changes in the staffing of these medical institutions, measures to improve the professional level of medical workers are presented. The nature of changes in the quality of medical care for children aimed at reducing their morbidity and mortality is investigated.The main conclusion of the study is that children's healthcare in Western Siberia, which experienced a number of problems in the pre-war period, was not ready for a multiple increase in workload with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The lack of resources has led to a deterioration in the quality of care provided to the children's population, which has led to an increase in morbidity and mortality among children. Despite this, the health authorities throughout the war years conducted systematic work to strengthen children's healthcare. Ultimately, the efforts made made it possible in 1943 - 1945 to reverse the situation with child mortality and achieve its significant reduction.