Maternity and Childhood Protection in the Demographic Policy of the Soviet Authority in Gorny Altai

The paper highlights the formation and further development of the system of maternity and childhood protection as one of the most important spheres of the Soviet healthcare in 1920s–30s. The field of child protection in the in Gorny Altai was in particular need of expanding the forms and methods of work, since child mortality rates at the beginning of the 20s were quite high. There was no specialized work on the protection of motherhood and childhood; there were no trained personnel. The development of diseases, and consequently mortality, was facilitated by unfavorable living conditions of the local population, lack of hygienic culture and regular movements of the population throughout the region. The solution to this problem was facilitated by the introduction of Soviet legislation on labor protection for pregnant and lactating women and their children. Since the mid-20s, commissions to promote the protection of motherhood and childhood were formed in the region, which carried out active educational and organizational work. The organization of mobile institutions for the protection of motherhood and childhood played a great role in solving the problem. In addition to a few stationary consultations, mobile institutions assumed the responsibility of providing assistance to the population of the region leading a nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyle. In large population centers, the consultation stopped for more than a month, conducting surveys and providing ongoing assistance in remote areas of the mountainous terrain. Along with providing medical care, mobile consultation workers provided explanations about religious prejudices and superstitions. The data presented show the features of the formation of stationary institutions, the development of mobile services for mother and child care in the Oirot Autonomous Region. A positive result was a decrease in child and maternal mortality and an improvement in demographic indicators in the country.