You can often hear that medicine in the USSR was the best in the world. Is it really? The statistics are inexorable: now only 44% of Russians, that is, less than half, consider it necessary to consult a doctor for any ailment, the rest avoid people in white coats with all their might. Two thirds of the population are categorically dissatisfied with the quality of medical services, complaining about inattention, rudeness and incompetence of doctors and nurses. How was it in the USSR? Let's compare Soviet and modern medicine, and then briefly touch on the achievements and outstanding doctors of the USSR.
Free he althcare in the USSR
He alth care during the Soviet Union was free. Soviet citizens did not need any medical policies. An adult could receive qualified medical care in any settlement in the USSR ifpresentation of a passport, and the birth certificate was enough for the children. Paid polyclinics, of course, were in the Union, but, firstly, their number was negligible, and secondly, highly qualified and experienced doctors worked there, many with advanced degrees.
The State of the Art of Medicine
Today there is a semblance of an alternative. You can contact the district clinic at the place of residence or go to a paid one. In any case, a ticket to a doctor (even if we are talking about an ordinary therapist) must be taken one to two weeks in advance, and queues for specialized specialists stretch for six months or more. Some categories of the population can undergo certain procedures for free, but you need to sign up for them one to two years in advance.
Brilliant medical education
Soviet doctors received excellent education. In 1922, in the young state, 16 new medical faculties were opened in various universities, at the same time the teaching staff was updated, and the training of medical personnel was expanded. A serious reform, which increased the duration of education at a medical university to seven years, took place in the late 60s. The same reform introduced the teaching of new subjects, a number of clinical disciplines were shifted to junior courses, and the practical training of students was strengthened.
What now?
Today, almost everyone can receive patients, make diagnoses and prescribe medications: both those who really studied and those who simply bought a diploma from an appropriate higher educational institution. Eventhose who have no education can become doctors. You don't have to look far for examples. Gennady Malakhov, who graduated from vocational school with a degree in electrical mechanics and the Institute of Physical Culture, successfully hosted his he alth program on central television for several years. He published books on alternative medicine, which were read by half of Russia. But in the USSR, a similar program on a he althy lifestyle was led by Yulia Belyanchikova, Honored Doctor of the RSFSR. The woman graduated from the I. M. Sechenov Medical Institute with a degree in General Medicine and worked for several years at the Central Institute of Blood Transfusion.
Fixed salary for medical staff
Soviet doctors received a fixed salary, not a salary that depended on the number of patients admitted. This made it possible to pay attention to each person who applied, to afford a leisurely and thorough examination, which resulted in a more accurate diagnosis and correct treatment. Today (even despite the latest diagnostic equipment), the number of incorrect diagnoses and inadequately prescribed treatment is growing, and in paid clinics, patient tests are often confused.
Preventive focus
The entire he alth care system in the USSR was aimed at the prevention of severe chronic diseases, vaccination and the elimination of the social foundations of diseases, and priority was given to childhood and motherhood. The preventive orientation of Soviet medicine made it possible to prevent many dangerous diseases andearly stages to identify pathologies. The network of he alth care institutions included not only polyclinics, but also sanatoriums, as well as various research institutes.
Medics went to work places, visited kindergartens and schools for preventive examinations and vaccinations. Vaccination covered everyone without exception. When applying for a job, at a school, kindergarten, college or university, when visiting a polyclinic on issues that are not directly related to vaccinations, they required an appropriate certificate. Currently, anyone can refuse vaccination, most often it is done by young mothers, fearing the harm of vaccinations for the baby's he alth.
Prevention in Russia
In modern Russia, attention is still paid to prevention: general medical examinations, routine and seasonal vaccinations are being carried out, new vaccines are appearing. How realistic it is to get an appointment with specialists within the framework of this very medical examination is another question. There were also diseases that did not exist before: AIDS, swine and bird flu, Ebola and others. The most progressive scientists claim that these diseases were bred artificially, and AIDS does not exist at all, but this does not make it easier for everyone. People keep dying from "artificial" diagnoses.
From the history of Soviet medicine
Medicine in the USSR did not appear overnight - it is the result of painstaking work. The he althcare system created by Nikolai Semashko is known all over the world. He highly appreciated the achievements of the SovietMedicine Henry Ernst Sigerist - historian, professor of medicine, who visited the USSR twice. The system proposed by Nikolai Semashko was based on several ideas:
- unity of treatment and prevention of diseases;
- priority to motherhood and childhood;
- equal access to medicine for all citizens of the USSR;
- centralization of he alth care, uniform principles of organization;
- eliminate the foundations of disease (both medical and social);
- strong public he alth involvement.
He alth system
As a result, a system of medical institutions appeared that ensured the availability of he althcare: a feldsher-obstetric station, or FAP - a district hospital - a district clinic - a regional hospital - specialized research institutes. Special departmental institutions were preserved for miners, railway workers, military personnel, and so on. Citizens were attached to a polyclinic at their place of residence, and, if necessary, could be referred for treatment higher up the levels of the he althcare system.
Maternal and Child He alth
Children's medicine in the USSR repeated the system for adults. For the protection of motherhood and childhood, the number of women's consultations was increased from 2.2 thousand in 1928 to 8.6 thousand in 1940. New mothers were provided with the best medicines, and obstetrics and pediatrics were considered one of the most promising areas. Thus, the population for the first 20 yearsexistence of the young state increased from 137 million in 1920 to 195 million in 1941.
Prevention according to Nikolai Semashko
Nikolai Semashko paid considerable attention to the prevention of diseases and the elimination of provoking factors of their occurrence (both medical and social). The enterprises organized medical offices that were engaged in the prevention and detection of occupational diseases. Pathologies such as tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and alcoholism were especially monitored. An important preventive measure was vaccination, which took on a nationwide character.
Rest houses, resorts and sanatoriums were naturally added to the medical system of the USSR, treatment in which was part of the general therapeutic process. Patients were sent to sanatorium-and-spa treatment free of charge, sometimes it was required to pay only a small part of the cost of the voucher.
Major Achievements
Soviet scientists have made a significant contribution to the development of medicine. For example, at the origins of organ transplantation was the genius of the scientist Vladimir Demikhov, who, being a 3rd year student (1937), designed and introduced an artificial heart to a dog. The whole world knows the Soviet ophthalmologist Svyatoslav Fedorov. In collaboration with Valery Zakharov, he created one of the best artificial lenses in the world, which was called the Fedorov-Zakharov lens. Svyatoslav Fedorov in 1973 for the first time performed an operation to treat glaucoma in the initial stages.
The collective achievement of domestic scientists is the creation of space medicine. The first work in this direction was carried out under the leadership of Vladimir Streltsov. Through his efforts, he managed to create a life support system for astronauts. At the initiative of the designer Sergei Korolev and the Minister of Defense of the USSR Alexander Vasilevsky, the Research Institute of Aviation Medicine appeared. Boris Yegorov became the world's first doctor-cosmonaut, who flew on the Voskhod-1 spacecraft in 1964.
The life story of Nikolai Amosov, a cardiologist, became known after he performed his first heart surgeries. Tens of thousands of Soviet citizens read books about a he althy lifestyle authored by this outstanding person. During the war, he developed innovative methods of treating wounds, wrote eight articles on military field surgery, and then developed new approaches to lung resection. Since 1955, Nikolai Amosov began to help children with severe heart pathologies, and in 1960 he performed the first successful operation using a heart-lung machine.
World's Best Medicine: Rebuttal
Was the level of medicine in the USSR the best in the world? There are many confirmations of this, but there are also refutations. It is customary to praise medicine in the USSR, but there were also flaws. Independent studies describe in detail the deplorable state of domestic he alth care before the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was not so easy to get into medical school, relying only on knowledge, and a medical career is oftenprovided connections. Most doctors did not know modern methods of treatment at that time.
Until the eighties, glass syringes and reusable needles were used in clinics. Most of the medicines had to be bought abroad, since the domestic pharmaceutical industry was poorly developed. A large number of Soviet doctors did not go into quality, and hospitals (as now) were overcrowded. The list can be long, but does it make sense?
