I read somewhere that Obamacare is modeled after the Soviet system. Apparently under the soviet system most healthcare workers/doctors were the equivalent of our school nurses.
Glenn E. Curtis, ed. Russia: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1996.
“In 1986 the Soviet Union had about 1.2 million doctors and about 3.2 million paramedical and nursing personnel. Medical training emphasized practical work over basic research and pure science; only nine medical institutes were attached to universities. In the late 1980s, the average doctor’s salary was roughly comparable to that of the average industrial worker. In 1996 the average Moscow specialist made about US$75 per month, and senior doctors made about US$150 per month. Paramedics and nurses needed only two years of training and no scientific background; however, in rural areas, which suffered a shortage of doctors, such individuals often were the only medical personnel available.
Despite the nominally equitable nature of Soviet socialized medicine, the actual system was highly stratified according to location, with far inferior care and facilities available in rural areas, and especially according to political status. The Ministry of Health maintained a completely separate, vastly superior system of clinics, hospitals, and sanatoriums for top party and government officials and other elite groups such as writers, actors, musicians, and artists.”
http://countrystudies.us/russia/53.htm
I read somewhere that Obamacare is modeled after the Soviet system. Apparently under the soviet system most healthcare workers/doctors were the equivalent of our school nurses.
Yes, in the USSR Doctor was considered a low-status occupation. Most were women.