Medical and sanitary support for participants in the construction of nuclear facilities in the Urals (1945-1953)

For the first time in regional historiography, this article analyzes the creation and functioning of the medical system for the first builders of nuclear industrial enterprises in the Urals. As a rule, medical services were formed promptly, simultaneously with the construction teams, and became an integral part of them. The activities of medical workers in the construction of nuclear facilities took place under command management methods, strict secrecy, and the widespread use of forced labor. The most important feature of the work was that medical workers had to serve builders from various social categories and with different legal statuses. Despite the heterogeneity of construction participants, they were all subordinate to the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs. Sanitary departments (SANO) played a significant role in the organization and improvement of medical support for the huge contingents of builders, which united and brought together various medical services, thereby increasing their efficiency. Medical workers, acting responsibly and creatively, were able to preserve the health and save the lives of many builders, contributing to the successful fulfillment of tasks of primary state purpose.