Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 77. (Budapest, 1976)

TANULMÁNYOK - Kapronczay Károly: A lengyel menekültügy orvosi ellátása és szervezete Magyarországon a második világháború alatt, 1939—1945 (angol nyelven)

medical treatment was paid by the IXth Department.

18 The reception of regular allowance did not forestall support from other sources such as the Polish Civilian Committee, the Red Cross foreign organizations, etc. After ensuring their maintenance the next important step concerning the daily life of the refugees was the circular decree of 1046/1939, which provided free medical treatment for all Polish refugees. All local and municipal authorities were to report the number of Polish refugees living within their boundaries to the health olficer of the district, together with the name of the doctor who was entrusted with "supervising accomodation, checking sanitation, nutrition and the water supply, ensuring disinfection and creating facilities for quarantine, as well as carrying out vaccination, medical treatment and hospitalising if necessary

... Vaccine for the necessary in oculations can be obtained directly from the Royal Hungarian Public Health Institute, indicating that the vaccine is meant for refugees. The price of the vaccine will be refunded by the Refugees Department of the Ministry of the Interior. According to the above the treatment of sick refugee persons will be performed by the appointed official physicians, who may receive reward for that from the Ministry in proportion to the work rendered.

.. The appointed physicians shall visit the refugees in the camps at least once a week and shall check them from the point of view of public health. The names of sick persons reporting themselves shall be entered in a book, together with the diagnosis, the day of the consultation and of all further visits, and also the medicines prescribed.'''' The supply of medicines, the assignment and equipment of a consulting room was also tackled in the decree. It also stipulated the setting up of quarantine rooms and the keeping of reserve supplies in medicines. Those in need of hospital treatment were to receive it completely free. The last points of the decree dealt with the health personnel to be found among the refugees. "'...//in any camp or locality there is a refugee holding a medical diploma the appointed official physician may require his assistance in sanitary and health affairs. Besides that, however, these persons are not allowed to perform medical practice, in accordance with the laws of the country, and they may nor mark their home with a doctor's board. If in any camp, town or village there are trained nurses ( male or female) among the refugees, they are obliged to be at the disposal of the official physician on the order of the commander of the camp."™ The importance of the latter points became accentuated when right at the beginning it became obvious that the official Hungarian physicians were unable to cope with all the tasks, especially with holding regular consulting hours. Soon all the medical tasks occuring in the camps—except the checking of sanitation—were turned over to Polish doctors. The IXth Department prepared a special register of all refugee physicians and distributed them between the various camps.

20 The Polish Civilian Committee assisted in this task, both in sifting the refugees and in setting up the health service of the camps. Besides them the most important role was assumed by the Polish Physici18 Ibid. Ministerial decrees Nos. 238 935/1943 and 244 980/1943. 19 O. L. K. 150. B. M. IX. ügyoszt. iratai. 4028. tétel. Ministerial decree No. 1045/1939. 20 Ibid. Ministerial decree 2141/Men. 1940. (4 March 1940) Obligation of Polish physicians to report themselves.