Medical assistance to the population of Pskov during the German occupation (1941-1944)

The article examines the history of medical care provided to the population of occupied Pskov in 1941-1944. Under the occupation, the population faced the most severe trials: violence, hunger, disease, and survival often depended on the solidarity and dedication of those who had access to minimal resources. In 1941-1944, healthcare in Pskov became a social institution that continued to function even under conditions of war and repression. There was a hospital, an outpatient clinic, private practitioners, and several pharmacies in the city. The history of medical institutions in Pskov is studied on the documents of the Pskov Region State Archive. When writing the article, materials from the Pskov City Administration's health department during the temporary Nazi occupation were used. An analysis of the surviving documents of the health departments shows that despite the harsh conditions of the occupation, the doctors and nurses who remained in the city tried to alleviate the suffering of residents with a shortage of drugs, tools and specialists. During the epidemics and famine, they continued to work for meager pay. Thousands of people were admitted, sick leave was issued, hoping that this would prolong people's lives. A special category of patients were Soviet prisoners of war in the camps. The list of diseases mentioned in the documents suggests that the population was under the influence of several extreme factors characteristic of the destroyed social infrastructure. In addition to the obvious problems with sanitation and the lack of systematic medical care, there is a whole range of consequences of the occupation. The pattern in diagnoses not only reflects the ruined sanitary and hygienic situation and the lack of medical care, but also the fact that they represent a "cross-section" of living conditions under occupation. In the case of Pskov in 1941-1944, the disease profile demonstrates that the city was experiencing a systemic collapse of social structure and healthcare, which made its population extremely vulnerable to a wide variety of pathologies.