Od lekarza fabrycznego do przemysłowej służby zdrowia – początki pomocy medycznej w zakładach pracy w PRL (1945–1953)

After the end of World War II, it became necessary to provide medical assistance to the growing number of workers. First, they returned to pre-war solutions, trying to create outpatient clinics and employ factory doctors wherever possible. Unfortunately, due to huge shortages of medical and nursing staff, this was an impossible task. Additionally, creating medical assistance for employees was not a priority. However, when the industry began to develop rapidly, it became clear that it was necessary to provide people working in it with basic medical assistance and to take preventive measures to reduce the number of accidents and the incidence of occupational diseases. The foundations of on-site medical care in Poland were created during the first eight post-war years. The aim of this text is to show how the first model of company medical assistance was developed, how the first legal solutions were created and what shape they took, and subsequent steps leading to the creation of the first industrial health service in history.