01.05.2020.
Being on the front line of defence
Members of the Serbian Armed Forces are engaged in a number of tasks to assist civilian authorities and citizens in preventing the spread of the Covid-19 viral infection. Since the introduction of a state of emergency in the Republic of Serbia, the Serbian Armed Forces have shown, among other things, that they have courageous people who have never spared themselves, and have not hesitated for a single moment to help fight the "invisible enemy".
The fact that the Serbian Armed Forces are always there for their citizens has been demonstrated and proved by the members of the Serbian Armed Forces, who have been engaged where they are most needed for the 47th day since the introduction of the state of emergency. The Deputy Commander of the 1st Missile Air Defence Battalion of the 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade, Major Peter Robar, the Commander of the Healthcare Section of the 310th Engineer Battalion of the 3rd Army Brigade in Prokuplje, Lieutenant Barbara Đorđević, and Lance Corporal Marija Zarić from the Command Battalion of the Training Command are in their workplaces on Labour Day, ready to share their experience gained during the state of emergency with our readers.
Each workday is different
Major Peter Robar has been engaged in assignments with experts from the medical and NBC teams of the Russian Armed Forces in the worst-affected areas and at Covid hospitals throughout Serbia. He is engaged on regular basis in the areas where the presence of coronavirus has been detected and provides assistance to the representatives of the Russian military to achieve the best results in preventing the spread of the infection in our country in cooperation with local governments and representatives of the Serbian Armed Forces in the field.
- Working in the field with medical and NBC teams involves facing with something unknown and is a great challenge in every sense. Each working day is specific and completely different from the previous one. The reason for this is the diversity of tasks performed by the teams from the Russian Federation and the fact that each of the institutions they visit is unique in its own way, primarily in terms of the number of people infected with the virus, and also in terms of the organization of work and the way of implementing measures to fight Covid-19 - says Major Robar.He also talked about the differences between a day spent with the medical and the NBC teams from the Russian Federation.
- When I am engaged with the medical team, all activities are carried out in Covid hospitals. Russian medical teams are particularly interested in patients with the most severe form of the disease, which is why our and Russian doctors enter intensive care units of these hospitals on a daily basis. This includes putting on full protective equipment and observing all prescribed protective measures. I must mention that Russian medical teams whole-heartedly provide all the necessary assistance and support to our doctors and actively participate in the treatment of patients. When I am engaged with an NBC team, I work on the disinfection of the facilities where infected patients were or will be housed, and I enter those facilities for accurate inspection of all rooms to be disinfected - said Major Robar.
According to him, the knowledge that he and his colleagues would be engaged in "infected" areas made them especially careful and precautious during the engagement. In Covid hospitals, Major Robar explains, there are three security zones - green, yellow and red and each has its own safety measures.- A more important safety measure than putting on protective equipment properly is its proper removal when exiting the red zone. Particular attention is paid to the removal of equipment in the yellow zone. There is a mirror there and you look at yourself in the mirror all the time while taking off your protective gear. An additional safety measure is that there is one of the medical technicians in the yellow zone all the time who assists you in removing your protective equipment. In conversations with the medical staff, we learned that you are more likely to get infected with the virus if you do not remove your protective equipment in a well-defined and prescribed manner than when you are in the red zone - said the Deputy Commander of the 1st Air Defence Missile Battalion of the 250th Missile Brigade.
Major Robar points out that his family and colleagues, with whom he communicates daily, give him a great deal of support in his daily engagement.
- I get the greatest support and understanding from my wife, son and daughter. Since my wife falls into a group of people who are at higher risk from coronavirus because she suffers from chronic asthma, we were forced to separate. As soon as I found out what kind of tasks I was going to perform, my family went to my parents’ house in Valjevo. Although we are physically separated, I get their support and understanding every day - points out Major Peter Robar.
Professional, responsible and committed health care professionals
Lieutenant Barbara Đorđević has contributed to the fight against the spread of coronavirus through her work and efforts during the triage, transport and placement of patients in temporary hospitals. During the state of emergency, in addition to working with patients and organizing the work of the Healthcare Section, Lieutenant Đorđević presents to the unit members ways and measures to prevent and suppress coronavirus infection and the proper use of protective equipment.
- I am in contact with epidemiological institutes and I cooperate with civilian health care institutions on regular basis. I keep records of all infected and potentially infected members and their health status, as well as all members in isolation, and then I refer them for testing and keep records of test results. Our section organizes transportation of patients who tested positive for Covid-19 to other health institutions or temporary hospitals and delivers medicines to military retirees - explains Lieutenant Đorđević.As she pointed out, she and her colleagues have managed to perform tasks during the state of emergency and the pandemic quite well.
- After the first coronavirus case in Serbia, we divided the infirmary into two physically separate sections with two separate entrances - one for patients with respiratory symptoms and the other for patients with all other diseases or injuries, as well as those who come for their regular treatment. Paramedics are responsible for taking temperature and triage and then arranging for patients to sit at a safe distance in waiting rooms. The staff in our section rotate to work with potentially infected patients on a weekly basis, and I would also like to mention that from the beginning we have all had protective equipment - said Lieutenant Đorđević, adding that all this was possible thanks to "the exceptional efforts of professional, responsible and dedicated health professionals and associates in the Healthcare Section."
Employees do not work in shifts here. They work every day and have an ambulance driver and medical technician available 24 hours a day in case of a need to transport Covid positive patients to other healthcare facilities or temporary hospitals. Safety precautions are taken - when directly exposed to the virus they wear hooded suits, two pairs of gloves, waders, protective aprons, goggles and face masks. Lieutenant Đorđević stresses that "everyone is trained to put on protective suits properly and, more importantly, to remove and dispose of them."- This is precisely the period when the work and efforts of the General Practice Department can come to light - said Lieutenant Barbara Đorđević.
I always do my best
Lance Corporal Marija Zarić has been engaged daily in establishing temporary hospitals for the accommodation and treatment of patients infected with the coronavirus at the Belgrade Fair, in Karaburma, the Štark Arena and the “Ranko Žeravica” and “Aleksandar Nikolić” Sports Halls. According to her colleagues, during her engagement in the fight against the spread of the virus, she did not spare herself, she worked hard and was a true example of how to act when performing assigned tasks.
- Temporary hospitals in Belgrade were established in a very organized manner and without any difficulties. I carried out these tasks together with my colleagues and superiors, and we made maximum effort to provide accommodation to patients in temporary hospitals in the shortest possible time - said Lance Corporal Zarić, adding that they did not encounter any problems while performing the tasks.She says that she decided to do her best "even at times when nobody expects it." She took part in the construction work in order to make the new temporary hospital and the renovated hospital at the Karaburma Military Medical Centre ready to admit infected patients on time, which, she said, was a special honour. In her spare time, she volunteers and distributes food packages and other essentials to our oldest fellow citizens in the municipalities of Zvezdara and Rakovica.
- The thought that the lives of our citizens are endangered has given me the strength not to give up and give my best to prevent the spread of this virus. It is a charity called "Kindness to Senior Citizens", which aims to help the elderly, the disabled, people with other health problems and single mothers. I would like to point out that it is a wonderful feeling to be able to help someone and the only thing you should do is give them some of your time. This is what they need most now - said our interlocutor.Speaking about the challenges of working during the state of emergency, Lance Corporal Zarić emphasizes that members of the Serbian Armed Forces have many challenges during their career and that this is just one of them.
- In situations like these, it is important that we give each other moral support and assistance, and the cooperative relationship of colleagues in our unit is at a very high level – Lance Corporal Zarić concluded, adding that family members support her in everything she does and are always with her, even in these difficult times.
PHOTOGALLERY
