A medical exhibition has opened at the city history museum, dedicated to the development of healthcare in Irkutsk and the history of local medical institutions. Visitors can see old photos, printed editions and 20th century medical equipment, and learn more about the difficult profession of doctor and its importance. The organizers hope the project will interest schoolchildren and help attract future specialists to healthcare.

The medical exhibition has opened at the city history museum. The exhibition is dedicated to the history and development of the healthcare system in the city of Irkutsk.
The main goal of the event is to tell visitors about the difficult profession of a doctor and to raise the status of physicians.
The exhibition is organized by the Department of Health and Social Assistance to the Population of the Irkutsk City Administration.
“The idea for this project was born at the end of last year, when we were thinking about how to help practical healthcare in solving staffing issues,” said Svetlana Papkova, acting head of the Department of Health and Social Assistance to the Population of the Irkutsk City Administration. “We hold job fairs. They are in demand, but staffing shortages cannot be solved by holding them alone. And then the idea came to create a project aimed at career guidance work with high school students. Most students in grades 9-11 do not yet have a definite choice related to a profession. That means that by showing them such an exhibition, we can interest them and later attract future specialists to the healthcare sector. Today medical organizations are in great need of young doctors devoted to their work. The department began fruitful cooperation with the Irkutsk City History Museum and medical institutions to bring this project to life, for which we are very grateful to them. Now we will also work closely with the Department of Education on organizing excursions for schoolchildren.”
The exhibition features two of Irkutsk’s oldest healthcare institutions: the Ivano-Matreninskaya Children’s Clinical Hospital and the medical sanitary unit of IAPO.
As reported by the administration’s press service, the exhibition includes old photographs, printed publications, and twentieth-century medical equipment. By the way, the first will celebrate its 120th anniversary in early September, and the second has already turned 80.
“Our exhibition will be continually supplemented with new materials on the history of other medical institutions,” said Svetlana Papkova. “Moreover, we are discussing another project with chief physicians: for those children who show an interest in medicine, to organize excursions to medical institutions so that they can see firsthand what the profession of a doctor is.”
The exhibition will be of interest to people of any age group.