The Financial Position of Zemstvo Medical Personnel: On the Materials of the Ufa Gubernia (The Last Third of the 19th - Early 20th Centuries)

In this article, the problem of the financial position of the zemstvo medical staff of the Ufa Gubernia in the last third of the 19th -beginning of the 20th centuries is analyzed. The financial position of medical personnel had a great influence on the development of the zemstvo medical system in the gubernia. Based on archival and published sources, the author notes that the financial situation of the zemstvo medical and paramedical personnel in different counties of the gubernia was not the same, which was explained by the different financial possibilities of the district zemstvos. The author points to the desire of the zemstvo administration to pursue a policy of economic incentives for employees and a strategy to increase the level of wages, thereby ensuring the flow of experts into their healthcare structures. At the same time, it is important to note here that zemstvo administrations were slow to raise salaries for medical personnel. This can be explained by the dominance of supporters of economical expenditure of zemstvo means in the self-government bodies of the Ufa Gubernia. Using a comparative historical method, the author reveals common characteristic features in the system of remuneration and incentives for zemstvo medical workers in the gubernias with zemstvo self-government bodies. The system of incentives, designed to stimulate the work of doctors and to prevent staff turnover, included increases in the salary for the length of service, the provision of an apartment for living, or a certain amount of money for renting. Measures to attract medical and care personnel to the community service had a favorable effect on the financial situation of the zemstvo medical staff as evidenced by the growth of medical personnel in the Ufa Gubernia. The author points out that in comparison with other zemstvo employees, doctors were the most highly paid group. However, in comparison with private practitioners, the salaries of zemstvo doctors were inadequate. The author believes that in the early 20th century the improvement of the financial situation of zemstvo medical personnel was regarded as an important factor in the development and improvement of zemstvo medicine. This is reflected in the practice of increasing the salaries of zemstvo doctors for long service that existed since the end of the 19th century in some gubernias. At the same time, according to the laws, people on employment contracts in the zemstvo were not considered to be state employees, so they did not receive the privileges of officials when they retired.

Keywords

Authors

References