23.05.2025.
MMA Medical Faculty Day marked
Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić attended today a ceremony to mark the MMA Medical Faculty Day held at the Military Medical Academy’s lecture theatre.
Minister Gašić extended his congratulations on the anniversary and emphasized that “the rich history of the Serbian military medical service, the exploits and merit of its personnel are part of the identity of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces”.- The development and progress of military healthcare has always reflected the development and progress of the military and the state as a whole. In times of crisis and hardship, the military medical service has shared the fate of the people, carrying an enormous burden of responsibility. The knowledge, sacrifice and effort invested in saving the lives and maintaining the health of our soldiers, especially when things were at their worst for our people and state, have earned this service enormous respect, on which today’s mission of the military healthcare system is based, but also the education system for future military doctors - said the Minister of Defence.
According to him, this is an important day for military education and military medical service, because today we mark the 16th anniversary of the Medical Faculty of the Military Medical Academy, Defence University.
- The formation of a higher education institution that would train and educate future military doctors, the youth of the Serbian military medical service, was a visionary act. From the time it was formed until today, the MMA Medical Faculty has grown, both in terms of the number of cadets it educates and the quality of the teaching process. It is no coincidence that today, the MMA Medical Faculty is a prestigious higher education institution in the Republic of Serbia, and the greatest asset of the Defence University and the Ministry of Defence as a whole when it comes to international military cooperation - said Minister Gašić, adding that one of the topics at every meeting with representatives of Asian and African countries’ armed forces is the education of their personnel at our Medical Faculty.As the Minister of Defence emphasized, the MMA Medical Faculty’s reputation is confirmed by the desire of many domestic and foreign medical institutions to train their medical staff here, in medical residency and fellowship programs.
- This is largely due to the Medical Faculty employees and professors from the Military Medical Academy. Scientific research carried out at the MMA Medical Faculty is also significant and dynamic. This year, the award for the best research project in the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces went to one such project carried out at your faculty. What adds a special quality to scientific research is the development of young scientists. Cadets, residents and doctoral students are given the opportunity to participate in scientific research projects, as well as in exercises and competitions involving military medical personnel, where they achieve outstanding results - said Minister Gašić.
According to him, “Vojnosanitetski pregled” (Military Medical Review) has been the top-ranking scientific journal in the defence system for many years.
- It is an asset that we must safeguard and develop by encouraging researchers from our system to publish their best works in it and thus present to the broader scientific community the quality of scientific research conducted at the MMA Medical Faculty and military healthcare as a whole - said the Minister of Defence.In terms of development, he emphasized, this institution has taken a significant step forward by introducing a newly accredited study programme - Integrated Studies in Dental Medicine, which will welcome the first cadets this year.
- Over the course of more than a decade and a half, the MMA Medical Faculty has positioned itself in academic circles and the wider public as an institution of significance, with a special emphasis on producing personnel qualified to respond to emergencies and serve in peacekeeping operations. Because of everything that has been said today about the importance of this military higher education institution, but also because of what can be called, in a word, the future, it is our duty to continue to support the work of the MMA Medical Faculty with the utmost care and seriousness. The health, and oftentimes the lives, of our service members will depend on the knowledge, skills and ethical principles that the cadets - future military doctors acquire here. In this regard, I wish the MMA Medical Faculty many more excellent cadet classes, successful residents and great projects in the years to come - said Minister Gašić.
According to the Dean of the MMA Medical Faculty, Sonja Marjanović, M.D.-Ph.D., there is a growing interest in studying at this faculty and, this year, there are three times more applicants than planned.
- Students’ main reasons for enrolling are secure jobs in the military healthcare system, practical training at the Military Medical Academy, availability of teachers, lectures and exercises in small groups, cadet and student mentoring, engaging young people in science, involvement in scientific research projects during studies, emergency response training for mass casualty incidents/disasters, military training, physical training, sports training and the use of state-of-the-art sports facilities, opportunities to serve in peacekeeping operations, career advancement through various types of training that are continuously provided - said Dean Marjanović.
On the occasion of the MMA Medical Faculty Day, appreciation certificates were presented to the Medical Service Centre of the Military Health Department and Media Centre "Odbrana" of the Public Relations Department in recognition of their outstanding cooperation.
At today's ceremony, the Rector of the Defence University, Brigadier General Boban Đorović, Ph.D., presented awards and recognitions to cadets and members of the MMA Medical Faculty for their professional results.The ceremony was attended by Minister of Education Dejan Vuk Stanković, Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation Bela Balint, Deputy Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff Lt. Gen. Tiosav Janković, Acting Assistant Minister of Defence for Human Resources Sinisa Radović, State Secretary in the Ministry of Health Mirsad Đerlek, Head of the Military Health Department Brig. Gen. Dragan Dinčić, M.D.-Ph.D., members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, and numerous guests.
