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Socialized Medicine in the Soviet Union

In 1917, a bloody revolution in Russia resulted in the formation of the Soviet Union. In the socialist society that Lenin established at that time, the state was given complete control over all aspects of life. This totalitarian control was extended to the fields of medicine and public health. Lenin "condemned" the idea of doctors practicing medicine for profit (Ryan, 1989, 92). On this basis, all doctors were ordered to quit their private practices and to work directly for the Soviet government. By the 1920's, "the private practice of medicine was suppressed to an almost irreducible level" (Ryan, 1989, p. 93). In contrast to the development of the medical profession in the United States and Europe, doctors in the Soviet Union were subjected to both low prestige and low pay. The situation remained this way until the mid-1980's and the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev introduced such reforms as perestroika (the restructuring of both government and society, as well as the relationship between the two) and glasnost (openness, or freedom of speech). Out of these reforms, a "cooperative movement" arose within the Soviet Union. Many industries and service professions began running their own private enterprises, free from government control. Among these new enterprises were the medical cooperatives which began appearing in Soviet cities in late 1987.

Soon after they were introduced to Soviet society, hundreds of medical cooperatives were established throughout the country. However, in the fall of 1988, the Soviet government began imposing restrictions on the cooperatives. Although these restrictions were directed against cooperatives in general, they were particularly harsh on the medical cooperatives. As a result of these government-imposed restrictions, many of the medical cooperatives were wiped out of business. Among the few that remained, most were forced to stop diagnosing and treating their patients and to li...

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Socialized Medicine in the Soviet Union. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 16:43, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1704921.html