MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS IN RIGA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A044400680001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 10, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 18, 1958
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This matsrlal contains laformatioa atieoting the 1Pattonal Defense of the IIaited States within the meaning of the Espionage Lws, TYtle
18, II.$.Q. Seca. 79S and ?94, the tnnemission or revelatloa of which la any manner to sn unauthorised person 1a prohibited by law.
COUNTRY [JSS~t ( tviaa SSR)
SUBJECT N~dicsl Institutions ~, ltig~t
. ~
..t,~-
'~ ~
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE b
DATE AC
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 18 September 1958
NO. PAGES 1
REFERENCES
SOURCE EVALUATIONS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
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seven civilian two military hospitals. There were l4 municipal
dispensaries in Rigs, most of w3~ich were attached to hospitals. Neverthe-
less, as a result ~ a severe shortage of hospital beds in Riga,. patients
were discharged before their were: completely cured, and treatment was con-
tinued at the dispensaries. The~.>~horta~ge was attributed to the failure of
the medics]: institutions to keep. pace with the rate cf growth of the popu-
lation of Riga..
2. Penicillin was .the only readily available antibiotic. The Soviet public
had little confidence in domestic antibiotics and was prepared to pay mar>y
times the official price to obtain >ilestern products. Vitamin .compounds and
drugs to counteract high blood pressure were also in short supply.
3. Between 1952 and 1954 sewage water leaked into a burst municipal water main
in Riga, causing a dysentery epidemic (Flexner and Kritsesonne strains).
Yietims of a scarlet fever epidemic which brake out in Riga in 1955-1956 bald
to be treated at home because of the Shortage of hospital beds. Doors were
marked with warning notices. During the period 1951 to 1955 there were minor
'?~~d epid~ics in Riga.
STATE ~[ ARMY
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~tGH~I
yeas (Latian ass)
I~ediaal InatitBtioaa is ~a
1. lsmicipal Hospital 10. 1, rhieh ties subordinate to the aAmieipal
health daprn~nt, ?aa boated at 5 Eras+moara~prst~a street,
tea. me 1,200-bed hospital had a nedioal staff o! L00 per-
aona, and alas aarr~d as a clinio !or the ~a MedLeal Iastitzte.
It had the !ol].oMin~ oliaiaa sad ~a~rdsi
a. boar sliaioa !or intea~-al diseases
b. 11a ohildren~a Wards
o. 41ro naareal disease Lards
d. Z-rq deprur~arat
e. lotir sordioal alinie?
!. da ephtha3aole6ioal olinLe
g. two t~ralo6ical ?as~ds
SECNET
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h. ? lOQ-fed aaternitf ward
i. Two paecelodioal olinio?
~ ? A ~rsw-terl *aid
k. l1~o aw~ropatl~el.ogioal wards
1. ? nearosareioal olinio
s. l histepatbolodioal ward
~ !A-Ded artilloial aDozticn wards nhieh was estab-
lished lolloring the olileial legalisation o! abortlan.
t~oaoa iho wished to bars m abortion had to app] to a
hospital and appear betose a a~io~1-social oar~tLttN
tihioh deolded aitethos m abortion was ~stitied of sedi-
oas, seeial and hsaaitariaa gretmds. me proeeiare
has beoaae little mere than a loraialit~~ howns~ and
all regaesta are ~mted. a-e lee, lined ii aeoo:danae
with the salas~ o! the palieot or her aporotp~ sanded trot
a ~dni~ oharde o! 50 rabies to 30 percent of the e~
inch o! the ~wtber or the lath.
2. Mmioipal Hospdtal Yo. 2, ~ioh ooo~ied the brass site o!
a aediaal institute e~ ?asl' 8~iwt, treated Beware oases iron
thronesoat the I.atdan 3dh, and also rsarved ai a research 3n-
stitution for the Riga Medical Institute. Jlocording to p].asy
this ~+ea~ttas was to be used omolosdra~j !or reaearoh, chile
the oliaio? of Hospital Ito. 1 wens to be concerted into de-
pariicnts. the 20?0-bed ~apltal iaalud~ad a nera~eledi~eal
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3. Municipal Bospital lfo. 3, ].ocatod,~ll2 Noalootskga 8~twt, had
l~00 boils, and inclndsd wards ibr 3at~araal diNaNS, ~La7,
pnseologT, and nrolsp.
!t? Maaicipal Hospital ]~o. $, which ooo~sd rho sito o! tLs loran
Rod Cross Hospital, had two internal diNasss xard and oa? sur-
gical ward. It had 200 hods.
5. Municipal Hospital IIo. 5, 14catsd at 13 vagdanbaa~ 9~rawt, had
150 boils and internal diaasss aad snrgioal wards.
6. ~ anmioipal aatsrnitT hospital was located at ~5 Mira 8trost,
and had X50 hods.
7. A tvbarcolosis hospital, which had 300 hods and ttyatsd patiaats
i~ thros~ont the rrpablic, was on t~orld~ BtrNt.
Q. 1 200-bsd ooata~iona dissasss hospital was located is t~
H1loaraiolc ~'orsst orrtaids the town. It ssrvrd u a rosaaroh
institution !or the Riga Medical Iutitnto.
9? Ilse rood !or rssoaroh purpops b7 rho Madioal Institsto waa
a cantor hospital on Tashi 8lraot. It had 150 bads.
10. ~ soiantit'ia Institat? !or or~hopsdic and 9urgicai Bshabili-
tatieon was lroaatod at 12/22 Amtu 9tsoat.
ll. ~ adlitarr district hospital (~oTaeni ola~asinoT goapital)
on Mira 9frsst, Riga, had 1,000 botfs aad all standard dspart-
~aants, including a g~~soologiaal ward.
12. ~ 500-hod naval. hospital ~iv~mo-no~'siraT gospital) wu looa#.sd
oa Mos~co~tga etr.at.
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33. ~sre sere 1l~~wmicipal dispensaries in Riga, Host of shish
wets attached to hospitals. ~e hospital dispeawrir qua had
been intreid~oed is order to raise the standard of treataeant
as Hell u to give pZgadciea4a au cpportudtT to specialise.
1~. V a result of !a severe shortage of hospital beds in Riga,
patients were discharged betbre thepr were complet~j cured,
sad trsataaa~t was continued at the diapeusaries. ~e amort-
age xas attributed to the tail~re of the asdica3 inatitutians
to keep pace with the ratrbt growth of the popalation of 8iga,
300 percent since the a~nneacatie+n of Latvia. ~e a~i].ttarir
hospitals, however, had been built dace World War II, add a
civilian hospital xas mnder constrretiam in wid-1957?
15? ~e ataa~dard food budget was seven rubles a daf per patient.
Patients coaplaSned that their awls were poor aed ida~iegaate,
probab~,~r becaaas it was a coasian practice for hospital staffs
to steal the supplies.
16. Penidllia was the oa~j- readi],7 available antibiotic. ibe 9ovist
public had little cont'idence in domestic antibiotics add vas
prepared tp pq uaaq tides the official poise to obtain Western
products. Vitaadn campo?ds and drugs to co~mteract high
blood pressare were also in short supply.,
17. Between 1952 and 1954 aeRage water lesleed into a burst a~icipal
water gain is alga, causing a ~senterir epideaia (lrleasner and
Srnaesom~e strains). ~iotias of a scarlet Sever epidsde which
broke out in Riga in 1955-1956 had to be treated at hone bscaaae
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of the sAor0age of hospital beds. D~oore mre aarloed with wara-
ing aotioes. Daring the period 1951. to 1955 there were ainor
ttphoid epidaaica is Riga.
18. Ons hm~dred p~gaicians are graduated annnal~y t~ the Alga
Ksdioal Institute.
19. The follo~ring persons were ImoNn:
a. Professor Bartnicln (!!a), as intes~ist nho was a oorree-
ponding saber of the Jaadeq of liedioal scienoea, was the
director of both the kmaloipal Hospital 10. 2 sad the Riga
Medioal Institute.
b. Dr. Cherepovioh (mn) had been the director of the Ifimici-
pal Hospital lTo. 1 siaae about 1950.
o. Dr. Goldberg (tf~t) headed the urological de-
part~aeut o! Hospital lto. 1 sad also leNited at t~hs ~,ga
1Kedical Institute.
d. Dr. Ral~bers (tbu), a candfdate ae~bsr of the Medioas
taadaq, was a leotnrer at the Alga Medical Institute,
and a oonaaltant to the internal diseases olisdc? et
the Hospital ao. 1 Ealnbsrs
SE~R~T
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e. Prolesaor I3epnkaltts, loser assistant to Prolate
Horodeoko (ffm)~ afaa the chic! surgeon o! the I~atdaa
SSR and o! I~oicipal Hospital 110. 1.
!. Dr. Prone (flat), an inta~tist ~fio loraerl~ Norked !or
the Institute !or O~c and Surgical Rehabilitation,
hid beast the chic! consultant to the iatern~al diseases
xards of Hospital ]to. 1 since about 1951.
g. Dr. ~rnb (flat) xaa the director o! the saternit~ clinic
of Mas~cipal Bospitai Io. 1 cad the loan o! the g~ecolo-
gicai-obstetrical lacn].t~ o! the 8l.ga l~ledicat Inatitate.
h. Dr. Strandia+sh (ff~t), as a~dartaitt specialist, nos the head o!
the sargical lacnlt~ of the ~idioal Iastitnte aetd the chic!
surgeon o! Hospital >to. 2.
i. Prolesser 4ilde (f1~oa), a Lat~riaa, headed the aeuropatlwlogical
clinic o! 1~Easticipal Aospital 110. 1.
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