HEALTHCARE IN THE WEST UKRAINIAN PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC: HISTORICAL ANTHROPOLOGY ASPECTS

Abstract

The article deals with the process of formation and functioning the health care system of the West Ukrainian People’s Republic. The author applies the methodological approaches which are inherent in the history of everyday life as a historical and anthropological discipline. Particular attention is paid to the description of organizational measures aimed at building parts of the management of the health sector and providing the civilian population with medical care. The practical activity of the authorities and individual representatives of the medical profession in these processes is analysed. The level of availability of quality medical care for the average inhabitant of Eastern Galicia in 1918–1919 is characterized on the basis of the study of archival sources collected in the fund 3982 “The State Secretariat of Internal Affairs of the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic. The Department of Sanitary” of the Central State Archives of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine. Also, it is finding out what practical measures were taken to improve the sanitary state of the West Ukrainian People’s Republic and overcome infectious diseases. The author concludes that, despite all the efforts of the ZUNR authorities, they did not succeed to create a healthcare system which would be sufficient for covering the entire population of Eastern Galicia by quality medical care. The main reason for this failure was the Ukrainian-Polish military conflict. It provoked a shortage of qualified medical personnel Ukrainian origin. It was forced to serve at the front and could not appease the needs of civilians. That’s why the representatives of other nationalities were involved in the service on the position of district doctors. It was also associated with certain difficulties because the Poles mostly sabotaged service in favour of the Ukrainian state. The war has also caused material and technical problems in the healthcare sector, in particular, the lack of sanitary materials and medicines and the difficulties in importing them from abroad. The traditional ignorance in the hygiene of Galician people and the distrust for the representatives of the medical profession were also usual problems.