Instytucjonalna opieka położnicza nad kobietą ciężarną i rodzącą w Polsce w okresie PRL-u

After the end of World War II, Poland began a period of reconstruction of the country, but also of great ideological changes. A new regime was introduced, which set as its goal the nationalization of all branches of the economy. One of the areas of implementation of the new policy was health care. However, the introduction of all intentions was not immediately possible due to the massive destruction of the material base and the shortage of qualified medical staff. One of the demands of the new government was to universalize the health service and provide free care to all citizens. Obstetric care had a special place in these plans. It was considered necessary to create as soon as possible a network of facilities where parturients would be able to give birth in proper sanitary conditions under the care of qualified personnel, and thus limit the practice of the time being reduced to the use of unqualified village midwives for deliveries. In view of the insufficient number of gynecological-obstetrical hospitals, they began to create hitherto unknown institutions, which were intended to be located mainly in villages, so that they would be relatively close to the women giving birth. These institutions were birthing rooms and obstetric units. The text shows the specifics of the functioning of these three institutions providing perinatal assistance – functioning throughout the entire period of the People’s Poland – as well as the social perception of the services provided in them.