The national symposium on the multidisciplinary approach in the care and treatment of patients suffering from COVID-19 was held at the Military Medical Academy.

With welcoming words, the Head of the MMA, colonel prof. Dr. Miroslav Vukosavljević said that the lights of the educational stage of the Military Medical Academy were conctantly on and expressed his satisfaction that the MMA amphitheater has returned to its original purpose. Recalling the role of the MMA during the COVID-19 pandemic, he pointed out that all the tasks that were before the members of the MMA have been completed and are still ongoing. He mentioned that today's meeting is extremely important from several aspects, but primarily to see what can be done better and reminded that the tasks of the MMA are education and continuous learning. Welcoming the gathering, he wished the participants to never forget the steps taken by their predecessors in the profession, because "without those small steps, there wouldn't be any big ones that I wish you in the future."

In the opening address, the Head of the Health Care Service, MMA head nurse Bojana Jovanović said that at the symposium, established lecturers will present the most important topics about covid to the participants from Serbia and the region with the aim of acquiring new knowledge, skills and guidelines for the improvement of professional activities. She reminded that the pandemic mobilized human and professional resources, but also that team work demonstrated knowledge and skills, commitment and responsibility, fearlessness and tirelessness. As she stated, with their work, nurses sent a clear picture of the importance of their profession, but also a message that they desperately need a legal foundation and recognition because only a recognized profession has access to all development and improvement paths "from formal education, continuous learning to participation in organized types of education, all with the aim of building cooperation paths, spreading knowledge in the interest of better professional practice, exchange of experience and professional contacts with colleagues".

The director of the Chamber of Nurses and Health Technicians of Serbia, professional nurse Vesna Jocić, welcomed the gathering and said that the theme of the symposium speaks of the importance of the professional challenges that the nursing profession faces. She pointed out that the effort made by all members of the health system is immeasurable in words, that it deserves all kinds of admiration and respect, and that the selfless commitment is recognized both by the profession and by patients who express great gratitude every day, which is ultimately the greatest reward.

The President of the Association of Nurses, Technicians and Midwives of the Republic of Serbia, graduate nurse Dijana Otašević, welcoming the gathering, pointed out that it is well known how important the nurses are in the healthcare system, but noted that the establishment of the MMA Health Care Service is epoch-making for the nursing profession. On behalf of the association, she expressed her gratitude and solidarity to the nurses because they invest all their knowledge and skills in the prevention and care of the sick, selflessly performing professional tasks, providing help to the individual, family and society as a whole, and during the previous period they resisted all challenges. Speaking about the topics of lectures at the symposium, she said that improving the quality of work of nurses is also important for the quality of health care provided to users, and that the symposium is an opportunity to learn a lot, exchange experiences and provide a new contribution to improving the quality of work of nurses and the quality of health care.

In the first session, the lectures covered topics such as the organization of human resources in military health during the pandemic, measures to prevent and suppress the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in health institutions, therapy experiences with case reports, and analysis of the first 1,000 patients treated in the Military Covid Hospital "Karaburma", the work of the "Belgrade Arena" - the largest temporary covid hospital in the Balkans, the organization of the field hospital in the conditions of the COVID-19 infection in Novi Pazar, as well as experiences from the MMA Emergency Center. The second part of the symposium was dedicated to the challenges and experiences of nurses and health workers during the pandemic at the "Batajnica" hospital, the organization of health care at the Zvezdara Clinical Hospital Center, the Zemun Clinical Hospital Center and the "Bežanijska Kosa" Clinical Hospital Center during their work in the covid system, as well as experiences of health care of patients in intensive care units in the Republic of Srpska. The last session, in addition to the experience from the military covid hospital "Karaburma" about satisfaction with health care, the way of information and attitudes about covid infection and immunization of hospitalized patients, also included lectures on the organization of the work of nurses - technicians in the Center for emergency care of the MMA, the infectious department in the military covid hospital "Karaburma", experiences from the Republic of Montenegro, physiotherapeutic approach and rehabilitation of patients suffering from COVID-19, the role of the nurse in the prevention and control of nosocomial infections in a non-covid hospital, as well as measures of prevention and health care of health workers in the military covid hospital "Karaburma".