UMF Timisoara launches cross-border project in partnership with Serbian hospital

The Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Timisoara (UMF) on Monday launched a MEDICARE project, in partnership with the Sveti Luka Hospital of Smederevo, Serbia under which UMF Timisoara expands its Pius Brinzeu Centre for of Flap Surgery and Microsurgery.

UMF Timisoara Rectort Marius Raica said that the establishment of the new centre is important because the existing building, erected many years ago at the initiative of Dr. Pius Brinzeu, has been used as a multipurpose facility, including a training centre for students, residents and young specialists.

"It is not a project focused on the health line, but an academic one. That's the reason whey it is important, because it will have another bio-base, other possibilities of training students and residents, with the related consequences. We want to increase the quality of healthcare, which many times is failing us," said Raica.

Project manager Alexandru Nistor, explained that he works with fellow surgeons on an experimental surgery centre for surgeons who want to train in various techniques.

"We want to expand this facility of the UMF, to build two new floors, a new medical infrastructure over the existing building, which will also be equipped. We are at the stage where we will be able to provide only the necessary and minimum infrastructure part, while in the future, we will reach a higher level. We would need to be able to coalesce a core of fellow surgeons so that each of them can apply and raise funds under subsequent projects, so that this centre becomes multidisciplinary, equipped for each specialty. (...). There will be screening services aimed at the early detection of certain diseases, namely urological, gynecological and diabetes problems," Nistor explained.

The beneficiaries of the UMF Timisoara centre so far have been hundreds of students and doctors who spend a few days or weeks here for training.

"We are talking about experimental surgery, because simulations are used, instead of patients, for learning new surgical techniques on various models available, from simple inorganic structures to complex living tissues," said Nistor.

The MEDICARE project is funded under the Interreg-IPA Cross-Border Co-operation Romania-Serbia Programme and implemented by the Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Timisoara. The two partner institutions have a budget of 1.173 million euros, of which 997.215 euros are non-reimbursable EU contribution. The deadline is July 2021.