04.06.2009.
MRI launched at MMA
„Today is a glorious day for the system of defense as we have just launched a new nuclear MRI, 3with the power of 3 Tesla, which ranks as the best in our state and one of ten MRIS of the same power in Europe”, said the Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac at today’s launch ceremony in MMA.„We invested 10 million EUR in equipment last year and this equipment is being installed now. Last year’s profit reached 40 million EUR and it is the largest income generated in the last ten years. We want MMA as the third largest military hospital in the world to be the third best hospital as well. We feel that it is possible and we are planning new investments, new equipment which has not yet been seen. We want the best working conditions for our doctors, and the best care for our patients, as Minister said.
At the press conference the Head of MMA Major General Miodrag Jevtic spoke of the advantages and the importance of the new MRI as it provides precise diagnostics of all spinal and brain conditions.
Diagnostic capacities of the Radiology Institute will be complete with the equipping of the new angio OR and multi-slice scanner soon to launched in operation including the neuroradiology domain and the sphere of intervention cardiology. This confirms once again the dedication of MoD and MMA management to modernize and revive this institution ranking it as the best equipped in the world.
MRI costs 220 million RSD and was procured on a regular public bid, yet this investment will soon pay off given the large number of patients in need of such a diagnostic procedure.Both the minister and the Head of MMA answered journalists’ questions with respect to the education of medical students at MMA. By opening an MMA College the Ministry will be able to educate and train its medical staff for its won purposes, yet the programs will be harmonized with the university system of Serbia. This wil be another opportunity for good regional cooperation in the field of military medicine, for them to advance and train their medical services at MMA.
„This year, for the first time, based on the accreditations of MMA, MA and Military Technical Institute, MoD will have the option to enroll the medical students undergraduates into MMA. It is a well known fact that military medical staff, in addition to their medical skills and knowledge should also master military skills. It is our intention to build new personnel of use to the defense system in the future.
„We have received the approval of the Serbian Government to enroll a certain number of students as budget funded students, and we will also have foreign students attending the MA. After a long time, the professors and doctors will get the status they deserve, as many private clinics have so far bragged themselves on having MMA doctors operating in these clinics, yet the doctors did not have necessary professor skills as their colleagues from the civil sector. We do not want to compete, or to become disloyal competition, yet it is upon the Serbian citizens to decide who they will deposit trust in.„We believe that the military health care system is one of our country and the defense system‘s greatest potentials and we should develop this potential”, as Sutanovac stated.
Major General Jevtic ?said that 98,2 % capacities are full at the moment, which speaks volumes of enormous trust the citizens of Serbia deposit in our institution as we only admit the gravest cases.
„This MRI will shorten, and facilitate the whole diagnostic procedure, and this is another advantage for our staff to give their best in performing their duties:. MA currently has 120 teachers, Assistant Professors and Full Professor, which is a capital any country should take pride in.
The future military medical school will enable the future doctors, MDs to start their prodfessional career without any further education which consumed significant funds so far. The study programs include all the programs of our state medical schools, enriched with modern European medical knowledge and specific needs of our defense system. As early as next year we will have 20 medical students at MMA. Even though we have received accreditation for 50 students we decided to enroll fewer students in order to give them maximum. All our experiences in that first year of studies will be used for furtjer education of doctors at MMA.
State Secretaries Zoran Vesic and Aleksandar Miscevic alos attended the ceremony today as well as the Chief of SAF GS LTG MIloje MIletic and Assistant Minister for Material Resources Ilija Pilipovic.
PHOTOGALLERY
