The Military Medical Academy ( sr, Војномедицинска академија, Vojnomedicinska akademija; abbr. VMA), is a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

center in the

Banjica Banjica ( sr, Бањица, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between the Belgrade's municipalities of Savski Venac (western half) and Voždovac (eastern half). Location Banjica is located 5-6 kilo ...

neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. Founded in 1844, it is a part of the Serbian Ministry of Defence and is generally intended to serve the personnel of the Serbian Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence, although it is open for civilians as well. It is known for its high standard in medical practice and is generally considered to be among the best medical institution in the country. In 2011, Medical School of Military Medical Academy is formed as part of the newly-established University of Defence.

History

The Military Medical Academy was founded on 2 March 1844. On that day, Prince Alexander Karađorđević signed a decree establishing the first "Central Military Hospital" on the foundations of the military hospital in Belgrade. In 1909 began the construction of a new building of the "General Military Hospital". with 400 beds available, in

Vračar Vračar ( sr-Cyrl, Врачар, ) is an affluent urban area and municipality of the city of Belgrade known as the location of many embassies and museums. According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has a population of 56,333 inhabitant ...

. It was planned to be the most advanced hospital in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. The hospital, changed its name once again into the "Main Military Hospital" in 1930. It operated under the Health Department of the Defence Ministry of the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...

. In 1949, the hospital was renamed to the "Military Medical Academy", the name it bears to this date. In 1960, the Parliament of Yugoslavia passed an "Act on the Military Medical Academy as the top military medical, educational and medical research institution", which further contoured its supreme status in health system of Serbia and then Yugoslavia. In 1982, after five years of construction, the Military Medical Academy moved into new medical complex, one of the largest in Europe and the largest single hospital edifice in Serbia. In 2007, under the agreement between the Ministry of Defence and the

Ministry of Health Ministry of Health may refer to: Note: Italics indicate now-defunct ministries. * Ministry of Health (Argentina) * Ministry of Health (Armenia) * Australia: ** Ministry of Health (New South Wales) * Ministry of Health (The Bahamas) * Ministry of ...

, the Military Medical Academy was functionally integrated into the national health system thus providing health care to civilians also. In 2011, the Military Medical Academy became integral part of newly established University of Defence, together with

Military Academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

. Annually, with 1,200 beds available, about 35,000 patients are hospitalized, about 20,000 surgical interventions are made and more than half a million specialist examinations are performed.

Building

Located on the

hill area of Belgrade, the Military Medical Academy complex covers the area of . It was designed by the award-winning architects Colonel Josip Osojnik and Slobodan Nikolić. Their project won the competition in 1973. The construction was finished in 1981 and the hospital officially moved into a new building and began operations on 1 January 1982. The hospital building itself is a 14-story building covering 180,000 square meters of space and divided in more than 60 different technical-technological units, which makes it the biggest single hospital edifice in Serbia.

Awards and recognitions

The Military Medical Academy bears many decorations, awards, recognitions and letters of thanks of which the most significant are the following: ;Awards * Order of St. Sava, first order * Order of Brotherhood and Unity with the gold wreath granted by the Presidency of Yugoslavia (1990) * Medal of

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...

(1993) * Medal of Nikola Tesla, first order * Medal of Republika Srpska sash (2013) * Order of Karađorđe's Star, third order (2014) ;Recognitions * Superbrand of Serbia in the Health & Beauty domain (2007) * The Best of Serbia award by the Economy Chamber of the Republic of Serbia * The Best Corporative Brand in the field of medicine and health care by the Economic Review and the Ministry of Trade and Services * "22nd December" prize for architecture of the hospital complex

Chiefs

References

External links