02.09.2020.
Investments in Military Health Care is Investment into Quality of Life
In the year which brought to the world completely new health and security challenges, the importance of continuous investment in development of military health care became evident. The military health care system, despite its regular tasks, has successfully provided assistance to the citizens of Serbia. All that would not be possible, if considerable resources had not been allocated for renovation of infrastructure and procurement of modern equipment for the work of military health care establishments.
During the state of emergency, in no more than 14 days, refurbishment and construction of a new hospital of the Military Medical Centre “Karaburma” was completed intended for treatment of the patients infected with COVID-19 virus. The value of the investment made by company “Termomont” and partners for renovation of 1,000 square metres of an old facility, its expansion to 1,300 square metres, which is how large the current area of the new hospital is, and for construction of access road, amounts to more than 37 million dinars. The Military Establishment “Belgrade 2” was engaged for organisation of accommodation capacities of the MMC “Karaburma”. In a very short time, 40 rooms were completely refurbished, together with 10 offices, two operation theatres, intensive-care room, 15 bathrooms and accompanying lavatories and 70 hospital beds were provided as well, which expanded the total capacity of the MMC “Karaburma” to 140 beds.
COVID patients’ treatment required procurement of necessary accompanying equipment which encompasses: 300 hospital beds of special and general purpose, six ECG machines with 12 channels for diagnostics of cardiac problems of infected patients, 10 monitors for control of vital parameters of patients in life-threatening state, 30 ventilators for patients in life-threatening state on respiration, three gas analyser for determining gases levels in blood, two wireless linear ultrasound probes with a tablet for quick diagnostics of pulmonary diseases and a large amount of personal protective equipment.
The Military Medical Academy as a prestigious scientific and research and health care establishment, has been recording considerable work advancements over the previous three years.
Owing to a contract between the Ministry of Defence and Directorate for Civil Aviation of 2017, the infrastructure of a heliport of the MMA was constructed, which was a donation in the value of 24 million dinars.
In 2018, the MMA procured and put in use: new magnetic resonance imaging machine, where the value of the entire investment for the working space and device amounted to 126.7 million dinars, 160 slice scanner in the value of 56 million dinars, and “Samsung” stationary and mobile digital X-rays in the value of 35 million dinars, while some 28 million dinars were invested in the room and medical equipment of the MMA Eye Bank.
In 2019, the MMA procured 30 million dinar worth equipment for 3D mapping, two ultrasound machines whose cost was 9.3 million dinars, medical equipment for surgery block in the value of 42 million dinars, equipment for MMA Cardiology Clinic (ergometer) 11 million dinars worth, and the equipment for Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology Clinic of the MMA in the value of 14 million dinars.
In February this year, the MMA opened a new intensive care in the Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy Clinic. The value of the works on adaptation and preparation of premises of the unit for intensive care amounted to some 28.5 million dinars, while 40.9 million dinars were allocated for procurement of new medical equipment. In March, operation theatres were renovated in the Centre for Outpatient Surgery at MMA Polyclinic, which required an investment of some 1.5 million dinars.
In August 2020, an adapted section of the MMA Institute for Nuclear Medicine was opened covering the area of 245.03 square metres, with two gamma cameras installed, which is a device that is important for precise diagnostics of various diseases, particularly malignant diseases when timely detection can often be of life importance. The value of the works performed on adaptation of premises amounted to some 54.8 million dinars with VAT, while the price of medical devices amounts to some 93.2 million dinars.
Last year, an operating table was procured for the Military Hospital in Novi Sad in the value of six million dinars, and in the same year the Military Hospital in Niš received new operating lamps in the value of 6.5 million dinars.
In 2018, a segment of surgery hospital block was adapted in the Military Hospital in Niš which covers the surface of 120 square metres and an operating room was refurbished as well intended for microinvasive surgery in the area of joint surgery, which was an investment of 11 million dinars. Also, a new operating room was opened in this military health establishment for laparoscopic surgery of abdominal organs, which is equipped with video arthroscope with accompanying sets for specific type of operations which required an allocation of 13 million dinars, and two rooms were reconstructed in the Radiology Ward and four new generation digital X-ray machines were acquired of the total value of 53.7 million dinars. In April 2020, some 9.4 million dinars were invested in installation for distribution of gasses for treatment of COVID positive patients in the Military Hospital in Niš.
Owing to the investments made by the Ministry of Defence for the Centre of Military Medical Establishments of Belgrade, in March 2018, a military outpatient clinic started working in Bežanijska Kosa. The value of infrastructure works was 15 million dinars.
Over the last several years, concurrently with the infrastructural investments, equally important investments were made in personnel so in 2019 and early 2020 the military health establishment permanently employed more than 500 individuals, both medical and non-medical personnel. It was thus ensured that the Military Hospital in Niš, Military Hospital in Novi Sad, Centre of Military Medical Establishments in Belgrade and the Military Medical Academy are reinforced in terms of their staff.
Attention was also paid to vehicle fleet of the military health establishments so in January this year, six new ambulances were purchased in the value of 33 million dinars.
Also, significant investments were made in the Serbian role 2+ military hospital in MINUSCA peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic for the operation of which medical equipment was procured in 2019 in the amount of 55 million dinars.
The Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces will continue investing in the military health system, because those investments not only raise the level of health care and overall quality of life of all members, but they offer significant support to the overall health care system and the citizens of our country.
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