The development of public healthcare in Tuzla under Austro-Hungarian rule was shaped by efforts to build medical infrastructure, respond to recurring epidemics, and improve access to professional medical services for the population. In this period, Tuzla transitioned from a modest Ottoman town to a city with an emerging public health system—supported by a growing network of hospitals, physicians, and health policies.
Slana Banja spa center, established for therapeutic and rehabilitation treatments
Public Health Conditions in Tuzla during the Austro-Hungarian Period
At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, much of Europe—including the Balkans—faced frequent epidemics and outbreaks of infectious diseases. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Austro-Hungarian authorities worked systematically with municipal governments and healthcare institutions to monitor the spread of disease, maintain records, and implement preventive measures. Annual vaccination and revaccination programs were introduced, which successfully reduced the number of cases and even led to the suppression of diseases such as measles.
The frequent outbreaks were caused by a range of factors: poor hygiene, inadequate sanitation, low levels of public health awareness, poverty, malnutrition, and the lack of structured institutional healthcare. Cholera epidemics were particularly alarming, occurring roughly every twenty years since 1846. In 1892, nine cholera barracks were constructed across Bosnia and Herzegovina, including one in Tuzla, built outside the city limits to isolate the infected.
By November 1905, the overall health situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina remained unfavorable. According to Sarajevski list in 1906, numerous diseases were recorded: scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, typhoid fever, smallpox, anthrax, trachoma, influenza, erysipelas, syphilis, and epidemic mumps. Malaria also remained a persistent concern, especially in Tuzla, Mostar, and Banja Luka. Tuberculosis prompted calls for the construction of a dedicated hospital ward, eventually located next to the Municipal Hospital at Kojšino.
In 1913, cases of Asiatic cholera were confirmed in eastern and western parts of Tuzla. In response, the City Council formed a commission to impose quarantine zones and provide food supplies to affected and impoverished residents at the state’s expense. Special efforts were made in schools to prevent the spread of disease. Although the situation stabilized somewhat by late 1914, the outbreak of World War I brought renewed waves of epidemics. In early 1918, an epidemic of epidemic typhus was recorded in Tuzla and its surroundings.
Despite these ongoing challenges, the Austro-Hungarian administration, in cooperation with health institutions, doctors, educational and civil authorities, managed to respond to health crises in an organized and generally effective manner.
Doctors in Tuzla during Austro-Hungarian Rule
The first officially appointed physician in Tuzla was Dr. Mehmed Sami Šerbić, who began his service in 1874. The first woman doctor—both in Tuzla and in Bosnia—was Dr. Anna Bayerová, who arrived in January 1892.
According to Bosanski glasnik from 1899, several doctors were working in Tuzla’s municipal hospital at the time: Dr. Šerbić served both as municipal doctor and hospital director, Dr. Johann Duller was the district physician, and Dr. Teodora Krajewska worked as a physician and medical official within the sanitary institute. Private physicians also practiced in the city, including Dr. Ignaz Fischer. In 1903, records show the presence of both Dr. Jadwiga Olszewska and Dr. Ignaz Pordes. By 1905, the district physician in Tuzla was Dr. Ljudevit Lichtscheindl. In 1908, the Kreka Coal Mine hired its own company doctor, Dr. Jozef Limbersky, and in 1909, Dr. Alexander Grinhut is mentioned as a physician affiliated with the sanitary institute.
With the arrival of Austro-Hungarian rule, the healthcare system in Bosnia and Herzegovina underwent significant transformation. Along with building medical infrastructure, the administration invested heavily in recruiting trained medical personnel. In 1879, only seven doctors served the entire territory. By 1890, that number had increased to 29, and by 1911 to 132 doctors, including those employed in public hospitals, railways, and factories. Among them, only four were women.
The First Hospitals in Tuzla
Organized public healthcare in Bosnia and Herzegovina began to take shape in the 18th century, and in Tuzla at the end of the Ottoman period. The first hospital in Tuzla, locally known as Hastahana, opened in the autumn of 1874. After the Austro-Hungarian occupation, the hospital soon became overcrowded. As a result, funds were allocated for the construction of a larger facility.
The new municipal hospital, located beneath the neighborhoods of Borić and Kojšino, began operating on July 1, 1886. It could admit 30 patients, with capacity to expand to 37 if needed. This hospital was the first new hospital built in Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austro-Hungarian administration.
A network of hospitals was established across the region, including municipal, district, and the central State Hospital in Sarajevo. These facilities were equipped with basic medical instruments, beds, and supplies, and each employed at least one municipal or district physician.
Tuzla also had a Garrison Hospital (Garnizonska bolnica) at Gradina, used by the military, where Dr. Ignatius Petelenz served from 1860 to 1876. In 1909, Tuzla saw the opening of its first private hospital or sanatorium, founded by the surgeon Dr. Risto Jeremić. In 1914, the therapeutic spa center Slana banja was established for balneological treatment.
Excerpt from the legislation approving a public loan for the construction of the Slana Banja spa in Tuzla
The number of treated patients steadily increased. In 1895, 11,389 patients were admitted to district hospitals across the region; by 1905, this number had grown to 33,607. Outpatient care also grew rapidly—from 10,077 patients in 1897 to over 76,000 by 1905. Many outpatient clinics also operated small in-house pharmacies that provided free medicine to poor patients, offering essential support to the most vulnerable members of society.