Open AccessMedical Zoning of Kharkiv in 1945–91: Infrastructure Development and Accessibility of Care
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
vìsnik harkìvsʹkogo nacìonalʹnogo unìversitetu ìmenì v.n. karazìna. ìstorìâ
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2220-7929
DOI - 10.26565/2220-7929-2020-57-13
Subject(s) - modernization theory , lagging , health care , business , economic growth , population , communism , economic shortage , zoning , development plan , political science , public administration , medicine , engineering , economics , law , government (linguistics) , civil engineering , environmental health , politics , linguistics , philosophy , pathology
The article studies the development of the Kharkiv medical infrastructure after the Second World War. The author argues that war destructions caused the disruption of medical network zoning as well as equal access of residents from different Kharkiv districts to health care, shortage of hospitals’ spaces, and difficulties in further modernization of medical facilities. Despite the intensive construction of hospitals since the 1960s, the situation had not changed significantly due to population growth and rapid industrial and housing construction that outstripped the medical infrastructure development. The article provides evidence that the main contributor to technological renovation of Kharkiv healthcare system were the local industrial enterprises. In the period of 1970-80s, the policy in development of medical infrastructure made an important turn: the local Communist Party executives had realized the need for advanced planning of the health care development in the city and oblast with the implementation of the best domestic and world experience. The priorities of the long-term development plan of the health facilities in Kharkiv were the creation of the ambulance system, large multi-profile medical complex, specialization, and proximity of the outpatient and polyclinic care to the population. Studying the history of plan development and implementation is vital for an understanding of the degree of freedom in actions of local authorities on the background of centralization and the Communist Party control in the late USSR. On the one hand, the history of the post-war Kharkiv medical infrastructure confirms the typical for large Soviet cities lagging of services behind industry and housing development. At the same time, the implementation of the long-term plan for the health care system development led to the creation of the integral, available, and modern healthcare system that is naturally included in the spatial configuration of Kharkiv.