The roots of organized medical care in the Astrakhan region date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The first trained doctors arrived in the area with Russian military expeditions, providing assistance to troops and local populations. In rural areas, healthcare was primarily in the hands of traditional healers, herbalists, and midwives. While traditional medicine had its successes, the first organized medical services developed only with the expansion of the Russian Empire, which introduced structured hospitals, clinics, and medical oversight in the region.
By the early 20th century, the population’s health indicators in Astrakhan remained very low. Official statistics only partially reflected the true level of morbidity and mortality. Before the establishment of the Soviet system, medical infrastructure was extremely limited: only a few doctors served the region, hospital beds were scarce, and many rural areas had no medical care at all.
During the 1920s, visits by leading Soviet healthcare figures, including the People’s Commissar of Health of the RSFSR N.A. Semashko, as well as prominent professors and specialists, significantly improved local healthcare. Hospitals and clinics were opened, midwifery and nursing courses were established, and public health initiatives began. Despite these efforts, the young republic faced a severe shortage of qualified medical personnel, threatening the rapid development of healthcare in the region.
To address this critical need, regional authorities declared the creation of a medical institute a top priority. An organizing bureau was established to oversee the creation of a higher educational institution in medicine, ensuring the opening of the institute and the enrollment of its first students.
On October 1, 1935, Astrakhan State Medical Institute (the predecessor of today’s Astrakhan State Medical University) was officially inaugurated as one of the first higher education institutions in the region. The institute was tasked with training qualified specialists in both preventive and curative medicine. From the founding charter:
Astrakhan State Medical Institute is a higher educational and scientific institution that trains specialists in medical and preventive healthcare.
The institute is administered under the Ministry of Health of the RSFSR and has an independent budget and financing plan.
The institute has the right to conduct and publish scientific research.
Admission is open to all qualified applicants meeting the state age and educational requirements.
Applicants must pass entrance examinations in Russian language, mathematics, chemistry, and social studies, in accordance with state regulations.
The first rector of the institute was Viktor Ivanovich Deshevoy, a distinguished figure who had risen through the ranks of regional healthcare administration. The deputy rector for science, Samuil Ruvimovich Gekhman, was invited from another region to organize the educational process, recruit teaching staff, and establish connections with leading medical universities across the country. Through their efforts, the institute quickly attracted experienced faculty and began training highly qualified medical professionals for the region.
Thus began formal medical education in Astrakhan. Over the decades, Kursk State Medical University has grown into a prominent center of medical education and research, making significant contributions to healthcare in Russia and beyond. Today, it continues to uphold the mission of training highly skilled doctors, advancing medical science, and serving the health needs of the population.