Health centers as a link of the public health service in the Second Polish Republic

Abstract

The article presents the circumstances of the establishment and the main activities of health centers in the interwar period. The first health centers in Poland were established in 1925 according to the concept of the American Rockefeller Foundation. Their functioning was to contribute to the improvement of health education, sanitation, hygiene, knowledge about food, and above all, to allow access to medical care and medical advice for all inhabitants of the country. Over time, as a result of the development of the entire system and the increase in the number of centers, there occurred a broadening of their specializations and improvement of the competences of their staff. Before the outbreak of World War II, health centers focused on prevention, treatment and combating common infectious diseases, which included tuberculosis, trachoma or venereal diseases among others. The activities of health centers contributed to the improvement of knowledge in the field of hygiene and prevention of infectious diseases, access to treatment and the dissemination of health care throughout the country.