Vladimír Krčméry (; 23 July 1960 – 20 December 2022) was a Slovak physician, humanitarian and academic.

Family background

Krčméry was born in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

to a Catholic family. His uncle Silvester Krčméry was among the leaders of the Catholic dissent, working underground in the opposition to the Communist regime and spending much of his life in prison.

Career

Krčméry completed his medical degree from the

Comenius University Comenius University Bratislava () is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is named after Jan Amos Comenius, a 17th-century ...

in 1985, after which he worked at the university hospital. Krčméry also completed a PhD at the university in 1990. Following the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

, he contributed to the restoration of the

University of Trnava The University of Trnava (in Trnava) () is based in Trnava, in western Slovakia. The university's presence in the town has historical antecedents as the University of Nagyszombat was operating there throughout the 17th and 18th century (present d ...

. As a doctor, he became known as a prominent specialist in the area of

tropical medicine Tropical medicine is an interdisciplinary branch of medicine that deals with health issues that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or are more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions. Physicians in this field diagnose and tr ...

. In 2007 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took ...

. Krčméry was the founder of the St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work (SEU), which trained medical and social work professionals. Krčméry used the college as a basis for his humanitarian work, setting up medical facilities across the

developing world A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreeme ...

, including in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

and

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

. Since 2015, the college became active in providing medical assistance to refugees travelling through Slovakia as well as

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

countries. Although it received widespread praise for its humanitarian work, the college was also criticised for awarding PhD degrees to a large number of prominent physicians and politicians, including former EU Commissioner

Ján Figeľ Ján Figeľ (born 20 January 1960) is a Slovak politician who served as European Commissioner from 2004 to 2009, then as Slovak Minister of Transport from 2010 to 2012. From 2016 to 2019, Figeľ was European Commission special envoy for the pr ...

as well as former ministers

Andrea Kalavská Andrea Kalavská, (née Augustínová; born 28 November 1977) is a Slovak physician and politician. She served as the Minister of Health between 2018 and 2019. Prior to that she served as a State Secretary at the Health Ministry under minister ...

and Viera Tomanová, with no academic achievements.

COVID-19 pandemic

Krčméry was a prominent member of the government advisory team during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He was the first person to receive a

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...

in Slovakia. Due to his prominent role in the vaccination campaign, Krčméry and his family became a target of anti-vaxxers, who physically threatened him and his family.

Personal life and death

Krčméry was married to fellow physician Terézia. They had four children together. In addition, the couple adopted two

HIV-positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

orphans in Cambodia. Krčméry died on 20 December 2022 in Bratislava from complications associated with

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

. After his death, several politicians praised his life achievements. President Zuzana Čaputová stressed Krčméry's devotion to helping the poor around the world. Prime Minister

Eduard Heger Eduard Heger (; born 3 May 1976) is a Slovak politician, who served as the Prime Minister of Slovakia from 1 April 2021 to 15 May 2023. He previously served as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the Matovič Cabinet, cabinet of I ...

likewise praised Krčméry for his work to help "the poorest of the poor".

References

External links

St. Elizabeth University website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krcmery, Vladimir 1960 births 2022 deaths Comenius University alumni Deaths from pneumonia in Slovakia Infectious disease physicians Scientists from Bratislava Slovak Roman Catholics 21st-century Slovak physicians 21st-century Slovak scientists 20th-century Slovak physicians