Twenty-seven girls and twelve men, professional soldiers of the medical service, of the June generation, today have begun a three-month collective training for their work in the military medical institutions at the Military Medical Academy.

This event was attended by the Acting Head of the MMA Colonel Prof. Dr. Miroslav Vukosavljevic, Colonel Prof. Dr. Nebojsa Jovic, Dean of the Medical Faculty of the MMA, Head of the Sector for Education and Scientific Research Colonel Dr. Miroslav Brocic, Verica Milovanovic, Head Nurse of the Military Medical Academy and Head of the Training Center for Medical Services, Lieutenant Colonel Elifat Feta.

Colonel Prof. Dr. Vukosavljevic pointed out that professional soldiers of the medical service were for the first time at the MMA, owing to the great joint efforts of all levels in the Ministry of Defence to solve one of the burning problems of military healthcare - the problem of human resources.

- What distinguishes this initiative from just staffing is the long-term and quality of the proposed solution. In this way, we do not only get trained, motivated and quality staff capable of defending the honor of military and white uniforms but also we bring back the profession of a military nurse and a military medical technician, which is proper for the whole system of military healthcare and the MMA as its key element - said the Acting Head of MMA.

He recalled that professional soldiers during the previous general and specialist training had the opportunity to get familiar with the military regime and prepare for the career in the medical service. As he said, “The collective training that they are about to have in the next three months at the MMA will prepare them additionally for work in the military health care system, which functions according to strict criteria”. He said that the MMA has a tradition of 173 years and military values, order, and discipline prevail, thus a lot is expected from employees. Our tradition obliges us to improve continuously, to be dedicated and make a maximum commitment in providing health services to the military and civilian insured.

- Based on the results achieved and personal ambitions, you will be given the opportunity to progress through professional training, participation in peacekeeping operations, but also to continue studying vocational studies for nurses at the Medical Faculty of the MMA - said Colonel Prof. Dr. Vukosavljevic.

Verica Milovanovic, the MMA Head Nurse with her team of head nurses from the clinics and institutes, will be the implementer of all activities related to professional specialist training.

- From the expert side, you will have the opportunity to acquire skills and knowledge, and just to remind you, the MMA has always been one of the best institutions in which health care is at the world level. With colleagues, main nurses of the clinics, you will have the opportunity to get to know the specificities of certain clinics and everything they do at those clinics. The skills and knowledge you are about to learn here are applicable everywhere in the country and beyond the borders of our country - the Head nurse of the MMA said.

The duration of voluntary military service is six months. In the first month and a half, professional soldiers of the medical service are undergoing general military training in some of the training centers (Sombor, Valjevo or Leskovac), where they are referred to the territorial principle, followed by a month and a half of a specialist training for the medical service in the company for logistics training of soldiers in Nis. After the completion of the training in Nis, soldiers on voluntary military service for the medical service are assigned for three months to one of the military medical institutions for collective training (Military Medical Academy, Military Hospital Nis, Military Medical Center Novi Sad and the Center for Military Medical Institutions, Belgrade), in order to be fully trained to work in the military healthcare system.

After completing voluntary military service, professional soldiers - medical technicians of the general, pediatric and gynecologic-obstetric program, laboratory technicians of the medical profession and pharmaceutical technicians will be admitted to service in military medical institutions in Belgrade, Nis and Novi Sad, including the Military Medical Academy.