[Convent nursing in Polish hospitals from 1939]

The author, Sister of Charity and Mother Superior of the Children's Home in Tarnów, describes the attitude of the authorities of the Polish People's Republic towards convent nursing in hospitals. The problem is exemplified by the situation of the Cracow Province of the Order of the Sisters of Charity. Apart from this main theme, Sister Mirosława Hałat says a little about the establishment of the Order and the role it played in Polish hospital care. Before presenting the fundamental problems related to the topic of the article, the author presents numerical data showing the Sisters of Charity's involvement in hospital care between World War I and World War II. This facilitates a comparison of the possibilities of providing hospital care by the Sisters of Charity at a later time. The author also describes the persecutions of the Sister of Charity by German occupiers. Her main reflections are divided into several parts. The period from 1945 to 1949 covers the time when the Sisters of Charity tried to engage actively in the reconstruction of the ruined Polish hospital system. This involved leaving the former Polish eastern borderland and taking up duties in the so-called Regained Territories. The period from 1950 to 1989 describes the conscious, planned and ideologically directed policies of the authorities of the Polish People's Republic to nullify or at least diminish the role of the Sisters of Charity of Polish hospitals. Quoting numerous accounts and documents, the author tries to recreate the atmosphere of those times. She also writes about the Sisters of Charity's preparation for work in hospitals as well as the possibilities of their education after the war. The article presents the Sisters of Charity's activity under very difficult political conditions.