Recently Mrs. S. Godwin and her husband, from Courtenay, B.C. visited the Soviet Union. In this article she re- lates how her husband became seri- ously sick and describes his treatment in Botkin Hospital in Moscow. Mrs. Godwin is the sister of Dr. A. Inglis of Vancouver. Her husband is the retired city clerk of Courtenay. By MRS. S. GODWIN, Courtenay, B.C. ntourist in London informed us in March of a ‘‘Theatre Tour’’ in the Soviet Union which included trips to Moscow, Leningrad, and Kiev. This appealed to us and through a ticket agency all ar- .rangements were made for the trip. We were scheduled to leave Harwich, England, by boat on the evening of March 13th and_ar- rive at the Hook of Holland the next morning; then board the train there and reach Moscow by noon on March 16th. This we did, but en route, while still in Holland my husband suf- fered a stroke which made it nec- essary for him to stay in hospital in Moscow. Our proposed ten-day tour had to be extended to forty days until my husband, Sidney, was well enough to travel again. The first ten days were spent in the: Metropole Hotel and doc- tors came daily to make examin- ations and prescribe treatment. A medical assistant administered daily injections while I attended to oral medicines and meals. Inter- preters were available at all times from the Intourist office on the main floor of the hotel. All medical attention was free. At the end of ten days it was considered safe and advisable to move Sidney to a hospital, and with the help of the Canadian ‘Embassy in Moscow arrange- ments were made to enter the Embassy wing of Botkin Hospital. This separate building was re- served for patients—personnel— from the ‘various embassies sta- tioned in Moscow and would ac- commodate 30 to 50 patients. @ Brush Cuts “The Way You Like Them” | ORPHEUM BARBERS 611 Smithe Si. (Near oe .. Canada Day Greetings to All Our Patrons TOM’S GROCERY 600 Main St. MU 1-2614 Specializing in Delicatessen Products and European Style Breads %, TRANSFER g FURNITURE STORE - Canada Day Greetinc s to all our Friends (Phone Nick) 1424 Commercial Drive AL 3-0727 5 Canada Day Greetings to all our Friends and Customers from Home Fancy Sausage Complete Line of Scandinavian Imports ‘264 East Hastings St. MU 4-3613 . Canada Day Greetings to the PT MAX GOLDBERG Plumbing & Heating Supplies ‘| “Big savings on your plumbing and heating needs.” 424 Main St.; Vancouver 4, B.C. MU 1-8627 Canada Day Greetings to the labor movement from TRADE UNION RESEARCH Phone MU 1-5831 Solidarity Forever! Canada Day Greetings to B. C. Labor from -PENDER AUDITORIUM - (Marine Workers) 339 West Pender LARGE AND SMALL HALLS FOR RENTAL Phone MU 1-9481 - June 28, 1963—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 8 Hospitalization charges were freein all other sections of the hospital, but this one charged sixteen roubles a day (approxi- mately $20.00). I had been ad- vised by the Canadian Embassy to send my husband there as treatment was of the best; other : sections were likely to be over- crowded, and too, I would be able to stay with my husband and. be with him night and day for no extra charge. This appealed to me greatly and proved eminently satisfactory. The building, one of over twenty in the Hospital grounds, was set _in its own lawn and built in the shape of a capital letter Ee. «lt was of concrete and brick and was one-storied except at the ends which were two-storied. The up- right line of the “E” provided a long promenade corridor for con- valescent patients. The central “arm’’ was the main entrance. Opening from the corridor were wards, surgery, dental office, X- ray and various other specialized rooms. At each end there was a nicely furnished lounge opening into a solarium for summer use. One lounge had an ever-popular T.V. set; the other, space for playing chess, checkers, dom- inoes; etc. Our room was.about ten by eighteen and at least ten feet high. There was a crystal and gold chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A wall switch near the _ door turned on a choice of two or five lights in it. Floors were of ceramic tile throughout, with yard-wide carpet running the length of the wards, and wider A Canada, Day Salute from THE SHOE CLINIC L. TORNBLAD 806 Park Royal YU 7-6162 Medical services like all social insurance is universal and free in the Soviet Union. A worker is shown here being attended by doctors. carpet along the main eight foot wide corridors. Windows were tall and double-glazed and opened at the bottom like doors or with a complicated transom. arrange- ment directly to the outside. There were two beds in every room, two bed-side tables con- taining compartments, two or three straight backed chairs cov- ered with tailored-to-fit white linen, one upholstered easy chair, a large linen covered dining table, a wardrobe and a sink with hot and cold running water. First call in the morning was made at % a.m. by a nurse — “Shestra’’—carrying a handful of large thermometers. She wore a white gown buttoned down the back over her ordinary clothes, a white cap over her wavy hair and strap sandals usually. ‘‘Do- -brya ootra’”’ and ‘‘Good morning”’ were exchanged and a thermom- eter placed under Sidney’s right armpit. Out she would go with a smile to distribute some more and then she would be back in about ten minutes to take a read- ing. ‘‘Temperatoora normahl’’ made us happy most mornings. It was in Centigrade reading and registered 36.8 degrees or so. Shortly after, the Shestra ac- companied by a nurses’ aide or “Nya Nya” would come in to give Sidney an alcohol rub. The Nya | Free nurseries are a boon to work- ing mothers. Since 1961 trade un-— ion nurseries & kindergartens ac- commodated half a million child- ren. Nya attended to soap and water ’ ablutions, bed pans, making beds, scrubbing floors and sink. She wore a slight- ly different uniform from the oth- ers, consisting of a white bib ap- ron over a blue dress and with a- over head worn like a babushka. Most were older than the nurses and they were all hard workers, con- stantly doing some cleaning. job tidying rooms and white triangle scarf or another. Breakfast was served about 9:30 and came directly from a buffet- thongh the food had been prepared in the central Hospital kitchen not far away. The meal varied with the dietary needs of the patient as determined by the doctor. kitchen in the building dietician in consultation, rolled oats or millet served with a pat of butter. There would be proteins of two or three kinds such as cheddar cheese, caviar, boiled eggs, frank- baked omelet or cottage and always bread some- white and sweet- was our morn- little waitress had “cleared away”’, the shestra would bring in the medi- cines and vitamin pills pr’ ‘escribed by the doctor and stand patiently furters, cheese, times of two. kinds, rye, with butter. Coffee, ened and ‘“‘white”’ ing beverage. When_ the See HOSPITAL, pg. 11 her and and would include cream of wheat, porridge made with milk, sweetened and — 45. East Hastings. GreetingsTo Labor Head for THE HUB for a com- plete selection of Jnion Made Men’‘s fear Work lothes, dress lothes.and furn- ishings, all on our FREE CREDIT Pe 757 East Hastings St. Use Pratt and Lambert Paint The brand most frequently specified by architects. Acknowledgéd by painters to be superior. TED HARRIS LTD. MU 4-1105 _ -WHOLESALE AND RETAIL Haney, B.C. 1963 Canada Greetings to our friends and customers _ Concrete Work — Readymix Expert Finishing ELMER H. WALSKE Phone INgersoll 3-3113 Greetings to all our friends in the labor movement On Canada Day—1963, Fishermen’s Union Hall © 138 Cordova Street East | AUDITORIUM available for dances, socials, smokers, arent conventions, etc. Good acoustics, public address system, kitchen facilities, tables. for conventions. Seating capacity: 400 For rates or additional information PHONE: TED FOORT - MU -43254