RUSSIA IN RECONSTRUCTION

Hokitika Guardian, 13 January 1932, Page 3

RUSSIA IN RECONSTRUCTION

THE MEDICAL FIVE-YEAR PLAN. Ur L. Haden Guest, writing in the Lancet, commends efforts that have been taken in Russia since he visited that country in IS2O to cope with infectious diseases. Concerning the Fiveyear Plan, he says : Ali aspects of life in Russia have their "five years plan," and not industry alone—and the medical five years’ plan has already had important results. Rural medicine in Russia lias always been very backward, and I was told that this was partly due to the concentration of medical teaching in the •larger cities so that those who were students there became detached from country life and did not wish to leave the environment of the towns "hen their university studies were finished. That problem has been tackled by decentralising the universities in the sense that universities are now provided .in towns all over Russia—even in only medium-sized cities. Provincial people are thus encouraged to remain in provincial areas. And "hen qualified the provincial doctor is given privileges as regards house accommodation, food supply, and salary. Also every three years a provincial doctor is eligible for a period of study leave of four to six months’ duration. Great stress is laid on recruiting for the medical service from the mass of the population and 85 "per cent, of the students attending courses have the whole of their education 'free. •Another aspect of the medical five years’ plan has been the insistence of the Commissariat of Health that no new bull'ding shall be erected for a- factory, •workshop, syndicate, or trust (forms of State organisation for dealing with the production and distribution of sugar, rice, wheat, etc.) without special provision of accommodation for a cieche for children, a consulting service for women and children, a dispensary, and a hospital. I visited a factory restaurant or canteen which was provided with a special room for those on special diet (and a lounge for those needing rest. No building of the character mentioned may be erected unless its plan includes this provision. And when the building ; is erected the medical departments are transferred to the control of the Commissariat of Health. Great attention is being paid' to in- • dustrial and occupational diseases and j medical men attached to factories are i engaged in constant investigation for methods of prevention of d s use. The j factories and workshops inspected were up ‘to date in their hygienic arrange- j ments, particularly as regards lighting, . ventilation, and the removal of dust from the vicinity of work. •Reference has been made to the obligatory provision of creches in connection with factories and other buddings used for industrial purposes and employing large numbers of people. This j provision is made in factories—as on farms—because women work equally ; With men. There is so much demand for labour at the present time in Russia that unemployment is unknown and without the work of women the five gears’ plan in industry coin'd not he realised. But the whole tendency of life in the Soviet Union is to regain the women as economically self-support-ing, so that provision of creches ior children is essential. And practically all j observers •agree that the provision a ado | iv,,. ( .|,jlrl>' n is as good as it can he j under the circumstances. If there is a shortage of -milk the children have 'Mrs,, call on the stippiy which exists, and so with other foods. Gen wally speaking ev.il prejudiced observers concede that the “Bolshevists do look after the children.” Judging from what I myself saw ill mil factors, and workshops in the 'U.S.S.R. there are few if any stxual divisions of work. 11 the large agricultural machinery works at Sehnashtroy at Rostov-on-Don, where 18.000 people work in great galleries of workshops extending over 300 acres. about oneth'.'d of the workers were "omen. Many were young gir.s. And girls and men'alike were handling heavy machine tools. Many of the women were .doing •work of a heavy character "Inch is rigidly confined to men in this country.