02.02.2009.
General Jevtic's interview to Blic daily
The Military Medical Academy will permanently remain under the Ministry of Defense. Yet with only 40 % of their capacities they are included into the system of public health care in Serbia, in all segments of medicine, hospitalization and diagnostics. Therefore, every medical service here is available to all Serbian citizens, says Major General Miodrag Jevtic, PhD, the Head of the MMA>
Many military healthcare beneficiaries think that they will be deprived of the right to get medical attention in this institution?- Recently, some persons with ill intentions have bee trying to discredit the effort the medical healthcare system has invested. They are trying to upset one categories of military beneficiaries who are our target group. MMA is a health care institution and it is tailored to the needs of military beneficiaries. Three years ago we found ourselves in a very unfavourable situation, and we managed to persuade the top management of the Ministry of Defense that the MMA is a national heritage of extreme importance. We pushed ourselves to the limits and we managed to get everybody’s support. Now we are a referential institution in the field of medicine, and we even established ourselves as a regional leader in medical education and one of the brands of our army and our country on the path to international integrations.
Do foreign patients to come to get treatment at MMA of how many of them are there?
- Despite hard times, the number of foreign citizens coming to get treated in our institution as well as for the purpose of education and advancement in various fields of medical science and field. For example, patients from former Yugoslavian republics come to get treated, as they are well aware that MMA is a very well organized institution which managed to preserve its capacities and the majority of quality personnel which ca successfully treat patients keeping abreast with the modern achievements of medicine. Complete diplomatic corps gets treatment in our academy, as well as the top managements of all foreign companies with branch offices in our country.
Do also state officials get treatment in MMA?
- We are not the only institution nor have we yet defined where state officials get treatment. But a number of renowned persons, state officials, and ministers use our facilities, however, as this a professional secret, I cannot discuss this any further.
What are the top medical achievements you apply?
- We have made excellent results in orthopedics, neurosurgery, pulmonary surgery, eye surgery, implementing endovascular surgical procedures, in urgent neurology and other branches of medicine-internal medicine, neuropsychiatry, pharmaceutics and dentistry. One of the examples of how keeping up with the world medicine, is introducing stem cell into treating those patients where all other options have been used.
How many employees and doctors are there at MMA and how much are their salaries?
-There are nearly 3000 employees. Most of them are medical staff. We have currently 470 doctors, 46 dentists and 36 pharmacists. As for the salaries, you very well know that you can never have enough money. We made a great step forward in raising the salaries which were very low in one period. This is why a number of experts left MMA and went to those private medical institutions which could pay them more. Today, our salaries are the same as those of doctors in the Clinical Center of Serbia with some extra work our doctors can make even more money.
What is Patriarch Pavle’s medical condition?
-You can get all information about his Holiness’s health though the Holy Synod, as the medical board delivers medical reports on his Holiness’s condition on daily basis.
The Patriarch is hospitalized in an private room? How many such rooms do you have?
- We have organized the hospitalization of patients into single up to 6-bed rooms depending on the gravity of the condition. Each ward has one private room and they are not necessarily reserved for those with privileges. Oftentimes, people who need special treatment get private rooms. We sometimes hospitalize those patients here because of their own safety. We even have a ward with five private rooms.
However, despite all these glorifications of MMA there have been certain complaints to the staff’s work?
Recently, we you received a letter of complaint? How many complaints do you get and how do you act on them?
- Of course, we get complaints, but they are rare. It is not feasible that we can provide one doctor per patient. We do not have as many doctors. People usually complain about long waiting lists yet our capacities are such that sometimes we must make these lists. We also look into all complaints about the work of certain employees and in case these complaints prove to be justified we act on them adequately. We have a team for the protection of patients’ rights, which looks into any complaint.
How many people get treatment every day in MMA?
- More than 10000 people enter MMA daily. So a small town goes to get treatment every day in MMA. Our capacities are 93.2 % full, that is, 1114 patients are hospitalized. The diagnostic center is packed with military and civilian health care beneficiaries as 2500-3000 of them come to this center daily.
Sonja Todorovic
