Before the Second World War, Celje with immediate surroundings had a population of 18,000 and was the economic, traffic, and cultural centre of the region. The city was well equipped also in terms of health care as it had three pharmacies as well as a health care centre, and a public hospital with maternity hospital. The Second World War and German occupation changed the circumstances in Celje. The Germans reorganized health care service according to their regulations, thus organizing health care service in German style. All three pharmacies, albeit mostly confiscated, persevered, while the health care centre was reformed into a regional health agency, and persons insured under health insurance fund were treated by private doctors or in a hospital. In 1942, the head of civil administration with jurisdiction on Celje hospital (Gaukrankenhaus Cilli) ensured the legal uniformity of health care service in Austria and occupied Slovenian Styria. Celje hospital was thus operating in co-dependency with the Office of Public Health at the Styria Homeland Association. Germans exiled most doctors, while appointing their own doctors and management. Although Germans had great plans to modernize and expand Celje hospital, their objectives were only partially achieved. Several doctors and medical personnel in Celje decided to join partisans in order to help organize successful partisan health care, care for the wounded, and relieve operative army of the severely wounded and ill, thus allowing increased operational capability of the army. Several smaller partisan hospitals arose in Celje area that were managed by doctors or even medics. Hospitals that arose along the path of the XIV. Division were especially important. The most prominent are partisan hospitals on Pohorje which were run by dr. Ivan Kopač - Pavček, the hospital in Matkov kot, Jurklošter, on Boč, and elsewhere.