Illness and social insurance in Spain during the early Francoist regime (1936-1951). The ill-fated Compulsory Tuberculosis Insurance program

The campaign against tuberculosis was one of the main health tasks undertaken by the Francoist regime from the beginning of the Civil War. At the same time, the project to introduce compulsory insurance against tuberculosis was initiated, based on the Italian model of social insurance. This article analyzes the circumstances that impeded the implementation of the insurance program. One determining factor was the division of power among the different factions of the Francoist regime, which led to the introduction of compulsory health insurance by the Falangist Party. Relevant features concerning the organization and goals of the anti-tuberculosis campaign in Spain from 1936 to 1951 are also described.