Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević today attended the signing of the Agreement on the Implementation and Financing of Activities of General Interest as part of the project - "Establishment of a National Program for the Transplantation of Human Organs in the Republic of Serbia". The agreement was signed by Minister of Health Danica Grujičić and Head of the Military Medical Academy, Colonel Prof. Miroslav Vukosavljević, PhD, at the Military Medical Academy.

On that occasion, Minister Vučević said that the signing of contracts between two ministries is common practice in a well-organized state in which different departments work together for the benefit of citizens.

- There is nothing more important than the health of all our citizens. So, what we are doing does not have an added dimension. These are normal things if only had they existed before. If only people had been responsible before and had not interrupted certain natural processes, both legal and technical, beneficial processes for the citizens of our country. I am proud of all of you officers and doctors, nurses, medical technicians, all of you at the Military Medical Academy - said Minister Vučević.

According to him, this institution does not owe its great reputation to either its equipment or the building itself, but to its people, because it is the people who instill trust and are the guarantor of the trust that the Military Medical Academy has enjoyed throughout its existence.

- This is great support from the Ministry of Health, primarily to you who work at the Transplantation Centre. I do not mean to single you out from among other employees, but understanding how complex and complicated your work is, I hope that your extra work or specific work will be appreciated, noticed, rewarded, and valued in the right way. And you should continue as you have been doing so far, if I am not mistaken, this year alone you have performed 20 of the most complex transplants. The fact that you were able to do that is a source of pride, not only for the Military Medical Academy and the Ministry of Defence, but for the entire country. On several occasions I was able to congratulate and thank, by phone and in person, the doctors who led the teams after they had successfully performed transplants - said Minister Vučević. He noted that he had had the opportunity to pay visits, under controlled conditions, to patients whose lives had been prolonged thanks to the knowledge and skill of the doctors, nurses, and employees at the Military Medical Academy, but also thanks to those who had donated their organs and thus helped someone else to continue living.

At the end of his speech, the Minister of Defence congratulated the young second lieutenants who recently graduated from the Medical Faculty of the Military Medical Academy.

- I believe that once they have completed their internships in the units of the Serbian Armed Forces, they will come back here and be useful colleagues for you, not only at the Military Medical Academy, but also at the Military Hospital in Novi Sad, i.e. in the hospitals in Petrovaradin and Niš. Congratulations to the new cadets, too. I believe that they too will become our good doctors, and I also want us to hire new nurses, technicians, and other staff that make up the Military Medical Academy - said the Minister of Defence, thanked the Minister of Health for her support and stressed that it is a pleasure cooperating with the Ministry of which she is in charge.

Addressing the employees of the Military Medical Academy, Minister of Health Danica Grujičić said "The MMA is coming back home".

- For many years now, there has been a discordant situation where the Military Medical Academy, despite its investment in personnel and equipment, has not been part of the health system. This is an introduction to the Military Medical Academy’s return to the health system. We are yet to make arrangements on how it will be done, and the Ministry of Defence has to keep some kind of control, but what is important is that the Ministry of Health recognizes you as part of its system – said Minister Grujičić.

She emphasized that the Ministry of Health would be there to provide any kind of assistance such as equipment, consultations and education abroad.

- I am very glad, because I know how much respect the Military Medical Academy enjoys among the people and among colleagues. Welcome back home - said the Minister of Health.

The signing of the contract was attended by Assistant Minister of Defence for Budget and Finance Katarina Pavičić, heads of the cabinets of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Žarko Mićin and Brigadier General Goran Momčilović, Colonel Nenad Ratković from the Military Health Department, Head of the Cabinet of the Minister of Health Dr. Dejan Masliković, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health Dr. Vesna Turkulov, Special Adviser at the Ministry of Health Dušan Davidović and Director of the Department of Biomedicine Dr. Aleksandra Vlačić.