17.10.2020.

Minister Vulin: Military health care is ready for the new wave of coronavirus

- Military health care proved its worth in the first and the second waves of Covid-19. But it will prove it again in the third wave or whenever needed. Military health care has procured everything that is necessary, we have more than enough face masks, protective suits and equipment, we have bought new medical equipment, we have equipped all our Covid hospitals, but also non-Covid hospitals – emphasized the Minister of Defence Aleksanar Vulin, who visited today the military Covid hospital MMC “Karaburma”, together with the Head of the Military Health Department, Major General Uglješa Jovičić. MD.

The Minister of Defence added that everything that is in the power of the Ministry of Defence, the Serbian Armed Forces and the Military Health Department, has been done.

- We are ready for the third wave, and I would like to warn all our citizens once again that no one can help us if we do not help ourselves. No military or civilian health care can admit all patients. They cannot cure every person that might get infected if the disease is not under control, if we do not wear face masks and if we do not take care. Listen to what military doctors tell you, what professionals tell you, take care – emphasized Minister Vulin adding that only we ourselves can beat the epidemic and that we cannot be ready for it if we do not do these simple things.

Military health care, says Minister Vulin, is ready to help its country, its Armed Forces and the citizens of Serbia.

- We have plentiful amounts of everything we need, but I ask you to look after each other. Only we can help each other – Minister Vulin concluded.

The commander of the military hospital “Karaburma”, Colonel Ivo Udovičić, MD, thanked Minister Vulin for everything he did in the past period for the hospital to be fully operational and have excellent results, adding that the period between the two waves of the coronavirus was used to renovate the hospital and the conditions for treatment are twice as good now.

- Currently we have 41 patients in the Military hospital “Karaburma”, all with severe pneumonia and in life threatening conditions. Seven of the patients are in intensive care and we fight for their lives daily – emphasized Colonel Udovičić adding that these are the most severely ill patients.

According to him, the hospital staff went on annual holiday in September and the hospital was renovated and now everything is being prepared for the third wave that has already begun.

- We expect a large influx of patients, we expect severe cases of pneumonia, because the conditions for the transmission of the virus are far more favourable now – emphasized Colonel Udovičić adding that in the previous period, with the help of restrictive measures, the virus was suppressed, but it did not go away.

He said that none of the hospital’s staff have been infected, that all of them are still healthy, and that the hospital was assessed as excellent by the Chinese and the Russian delegations of experts who stayed in our country.

- We are ready for the new wave, the capacity of this hospital and the new hospital is 135 and 140 beds, depending on the number of patients in intensive care. We hope for the best, but we are ready for the worst – said Colonel Udovičić.

The Head of the Military Health Department, Major General Jovičić and his associates, briefed Minister Vulin about the situation in the military health institutions, as well as the measures taken regarding the fight against Covid-19.

The Minister of Defence was also briefed about the construction works in the hospital intended for the treatment of Covid-19 patients, and he was also shown a part of the medical equipment provided for the needs of the Serbian Armed Forces’ units.

The Military Medical Centre “Karaburma” was also visited by State Secretary Bojan Jocić and members of the Military Health Department and Infrastructure Department.