Belgrade, November 27, 2009 – Official celebration was held at the Amphitheater to mark 100th anniversary of the Serbian Armed Forces Dermato-Venerology Service. The MMA’s head Major General Prof. Dr. congratulated the staff members of the Clinic for Dermato-Venereal Diseases as well as their precursors and teachers on the jubilee. ‘’ The Military Medical Academy ranking as the third military healthcare institution in the world by its strength, capacities and accomplishments, is today the pride of our both Armed Forces and the country. Our long-standing efforts to preserve academic importance and potentials of our institution have ultimately resulted in the establishment of the Medical School where future physicians would be taught; our presence is felt in every part of our country; the most prestige world centers we cooperate with speak about our capabilities; our surgical team in the heart of Africa has demonstrated their expertise and skills, capabilities and humanity of Serbian physicians and soldiers committed to their institution, the Military Medical Academy’’ said General Jevtić and added that in the course of our continuous creative and enthusiastic work on the 165 –year long MMA’s path towards professional and scientific development and advancements, there have been moments when we should stop for while, look back to see how far we have come and decide on what direction to take in the future. That is the reason why we mark our jubilees’, said General Jevtić and reiterated that marking of 100- year jubilee of the Military Dermato-Venerology Service is an extremely important event and the opportunity to remind us on what we have accomplished throughout those 100 years and to predict the vision of the next 100 years ahead.
The medical team successfully led by Col. Prof. Dr. Radoš Zečević has the reason to be proud, but, at the same time, a great responsibility has been imposed on him, ’’ said the MMA’s head.
‘’Great deeds of our precursors impose as well an obligation on you to follow their way of constant improvements of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and intensive scientific-research work, the results of which would be incorporated into the daily clinical practice and be the topics of discussions at national and international professional events; thus, you would contribute to further development of Dermatology in both Serbia and the world. The MMA Management and I myself guarantee you full support on that way of yours’, said the General to staff members of the MMA’s Clinic for Dermato-Venerology Diseases.
Colonel Prof. Dr. Radoš Zečević with his associates Dr. Miroslav Dinić and civilian employee, Assist. Prof. Dr. Lidija Kandolf-Sekulović presented the most important moments of the Military Dermatology historical development, current situation and the plans for development of the MMA’s Clinic for Dermato-Venerology Diseases in the future.
Dermato-Venerology Department was set up in 1909, as one of the six departments of the General Military Hospital. It was headed by a Medical Corps Captain Milutin Pop Jovanović, MD. In 1960, the MMA’s Clinic for Dermato-Venerology Diseases with the capacity of 60 inpatient beds, alergology ward and hystopathological laboratory was established, which, throughout the years, underwent further organizational restructuring and functional changes in line with the development of dermatology in the world.
In 1972, the Clinic was extended to include the Immunological Laboratory and the Corrective Dermatology Ward dealing with phototherapy, skin electrosurgery and cryotherapy
Headed by Col. Prof. Dr. Đorđija Karadaglić, the MMA’s Clinic for Dermato-Venerology Diseases reached its professional and scientific zenith. In 2000, the two-volume set under the title of “”Dermatology’’ was published. It was the work of physicians and professors from the Clinic and their colleagues from numerous civilian healthcare facilities. That book serves as an important textbook and the contribution to the history of Military Dermatology.
The MMA’s Clinic for Dermato-Venerology Diseases is today a well organized modern unit operated by nine (9) doctors specialists in dermatovenerology , of whom one is a professor and one assistant professor. It also has 9 medical technicians operating within the framework of Dermato-Venerology Ward and Functional-Diagnostic Unit of the MMA’s Outpatient Diagnostic Center. Physicians from this Clinic are actively involved either as the most responsible or fellow-workers in several scientific-research projects on the diagnosis and treatment of malignant melanomas and psoriasis that are conducted at the Military Medical Academy. The MMA’s Dermato-Veneroly Clinic has around 20 000 outpatient visits every year of which about 800 admissions for further hospital treatment.
For the future, experts from this Clinic are determined to retain one of the leading positions in Serbian Dermatology, in the areas of the treatment of autoimmune bullous dermatoses, psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, atopic dermatitis, urticaria and angioedemas, cutaneous manifestations of internal diseases and cutaneous lypphomas as well as in the field of dermascopy.
Detailed plans for further developments of photodynamic therapy, dermatologic oncology and surgery have already been designed, and there are efforts constantly being made to improve immunodermatological procedures and aesthetic and pediatric dermatology.
On the occasion of the great jubilee, letters of thanks were presented to former heads and staff members of the MMA’s Dermato-Veneroly Clinic and recognitions for long-term cooperation to Dermato-Venerology Services of the Clinical centers of the Republic of Serbia, Vojvodina and Niš as well as to the Clinical Hospital Center ‘’Zvezdara’’