The Health Care Institutions and Its Professional Staff in Bosnia and Herzegovina From 1878 Until 1941

Background: In the year 2024 Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) celebrates 130 years anniversary of establishing the Regional hospital in Sarajevo (Landesspittal) which played great role in healthcare protection of B&H population and also of education over 60 percent of medical staff in B&H. Great role have had also a lot of other medical institutions in B&H, most of them established and organized during Austro-Hungarian period. Objective: The aim of this article was to describe historical facts how mentioned institutions were founded and what was importance of functioning all of them during the past. Methods: The author searched important historical facts about establishing and works of hospital anf other institutions and their roles in healthcare protection of population in B&H in period from 1878 until 1941. using facts published in the books and articles deposited in indexed databases PubMed Central, Scopus, etc. Results and Discussion: During Ottoman Empire were established 5 Waqf''s hospitals (Sarajevo, Tuzla, Banja Luka, Mostar and Travnik by Governor Sherif Osman Topal Pasha (1861 until 1869)). After Berlin Congress and ocupation by Austro-Hungarians for 6 District - 6 Governments (Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Bihac, Travnik, Tuzla and Mostar, Bosnian Council has appointed district medical references, and in 66 districts (counties) were set up district, and county medical officers, mostly doctors. In each county council there was a sanitary commission of 3 members (the district doctor, a police officer and municipal councilor), whose task was to carry out sanitary control (inspection). The Medical Department of the Provincial Government published the relevant legal acts and regulations at the state level, The first official hospital established in B&H was Land hospital opened in 1894 and had 303 hospital beds in 4 departments: the first Internal Department with diseases of the throat and nose (not the ear) with 45-50 beds, the Second - Surgical Department with ophtalmology (for ear surgery) with 45-50 beds, the Third - Dermatology and Venerology ward with 70-80 beds and the fourth - Gynaecology-Obstetrics Department with 70-80 beds. It will be a good basis for training future teachers pioneers of medicine and generations of medical students attend the 80 years of study in Sarajevo. True, most students of this generation will be mobilized during the war, some will move on to medical faculties in other cities Tuzla, Banja Luka, Mostar, Foca, Zenica, Bihac. The first Faculty of Medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina officialy established in November 16th 1946. Conclusion: All institutions described in this article played important role in the history of healthcare education and healthcare protection.