Funding Provided for Medical and Sanitary Assistance and Treatment of Repatriates in the Ukrainian SSR (1944-1950)

Abstract

This article thoroughly presents the issue of financial support for sanitary treatment, medical examination, and treatment of repatriates who returned to the Ukrainian SSR in 1944-1950. It is argued that an analysis of certain activities of the Soviet repatriation department is somewhat indicative as it allows us to assess the motivations and priorities of the totalitarian state’s Government in matters related to the return of the USSR’s citizens back home with the status of “displaced persons”. The authorities acted pragmatically in financing the costs of sanitary and medical needs of returned citizens. In the dynamics of this process, the authors distinguish three separate chronological stages. Namely, (1) the commencement of repatriation process, (2) mass repatriation period, and (3) subsequent repatriation process. At the first stage (autumn, 1944 – spring, 1945), there was no centralised provision of financial costs for carrying out sanitary treatment, medical examination, and treatment of sick repatriates. During the mass repatriation (summer 1945 – spring 1946), the Government provided increased centralised financing of the health needs of repatriated citizens. After the return of the bulk of repatriates to the Ukrainian SSR, the authorities sharply reduced funding for medical and sanitary support for the subsequent repatriation process. From the spring of 1946 until the end of 1949, the Government only funded mandatory anti-epidemic measures. The structure of the budget expenditures on the health care of repatriates demonstrates that the authorities’ apparent priority in this matter was to prevent the spread of epidemic diseases. Instead, the provision of medicine and inpatient treatment of the so-called “internal” diseases were not among their priorities.

Keywords

• world war ii
• budget
• health care
• repatriation
• communism
• ukrainian ssr
• medical assistance