Social contract in the sphere of healthcare for soviet citizens (1917–1940)

The article considers two historical periods of time, during which significant changes were observed in the basic principles of the organization of the state health policy. The state began to form the prototype of the modern health care system in the first years of Soviet power, immediately after the October Revolution. The initial period (1917-1929) of institutional development of the public health sector is associated with the creation of a central government body - the People's Commissariat of Health, whose efforts were aimed at nationalization and centralization of health care, development of medical infrastructure, training of doctors and other medical workers, as well as the organization of health education work with the involvement of the population in its implementation. Having assumed the responsibility for providing each citizen with free and qualified medical care, the state began to implement its plans in fairly difficult socio-economic and political conditions. In a fairly short period of time, infectious diseases were virtually eliminated in the country and the level of socially significant diseases was reduced. The second historical period - pre-war (1930-1940), is characterized by large-scale reforms of Soviet health care. The tasks facing the sphere were associated with the interests and plans of the state in socialist construction. Health protection was mainly focused on the working population, medical care became as close as possible to the workplace, medical and preventive institutions were created at enterprises. During the years of the first five-year plans, the main services of Soviet health care were formed, including the protection of motherhood and childhood, the sanitary and epidemiological service, etc. The activities of the Institute of Health were assessed quite highly. The development of the public health care system became one of the priority areas of social transformation at that time.