IFMSA-SERBIA

IFMSA – Serbia is a full member of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) www.ifmsa.org

IFMSA-Serbia was founded in 1953. and has been a member of IFMSA ever since. In 2003. we had a spectacular celebration of our 50^th anniversary in Becici, Montenegro. During this 50-and- something-year period we have changed our title, due to the geopolitical course of history. But we have never changed our mission – having one of the best exchange programs within the IFMSA.

IFMSA-Serbia was a host of IFMSA General Assembly twice in 4 years. The first time it was in March 2002 on the mountain Kopaonik and the second time it was in August 2006 on the mountain Zlatibor.

Exchange program of IFMSA has always been well-known in Serbia and many of our eminent professors and members of the Academy of Arts and Science took part in the exchange program during their studies. This year we will be hosting around 150 foreign students in our 4 med school-cities, entitled “local committees”- Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac.

Tatjana Gazibara

neo@ifmsa-serbia.net

Dear exchange students,

It makes me feel very proud and honored that you chose to come to Serbia, our little country in the middle of the Balkans.

Behind this program is a whole team of people, starting from your contact persons who will wait for you at the airport/train or bus station to local exchange officers (LEOs) and their assistants who organize your activities and contacts with professors on the city level. Those are people with enthousiasm and a will to make our world a better place. They will all make you get to know our culture better and make you feel at home. We hope that you will learn and improve your clinical skills and recommend us to your friends and colleagues .

It is YOU who make us move the boundaries. Help us with your comments about your exchange experience in Serbia. make us better!

Public: every municipality has a dispanser, called “Health center” (Dom zdravlja, in Serbian) which has GPs, dentists, paediatricians and gynaecologists (who run among other things a family planning center and STD info) and corresponding nurses. It’s open from 7am to 7pm, with staff working in two shifts.

If there is a need for a specialist check-up, the patient is sent to Clinical Center to continue the treatment. Clinical Center is a complex of institues of all specialities, starting from Physiology and Anatomy to Surgery and Forensic Medicine. Every Clinical Center has also its ER.

Private: Recently the system of private health care system has started to develop and today it covers almost all disciplines, starting from small laboratories to polyclinics. It is up to the patient to decide which doctor to consult – private or public one. Of course, private clinics have their charm cause there are no queues and not really that true “hospital feeling”, but it is pricey…

Ministry of health http://www.zdravlje.sr.gov.yu/default.asp?lang=2&poe=30

Serbia is a modern European country, which, in spite of its everlasting turbulent history, has sublimed the feeling of past days and urge for new technologies.

Language:

Official language in Serbia is Serbian. It’s a Slavic language (similar to Russian), but has 2 kinds of alphabet – latin and cyrillic. In Latin version, the letters are just like in Western Europe (with a few different letters, like ?, ?, š, ? and ž). In cyrillic alphabet the letters are just like in Russian (with a few different letters ?, ?, ? and ?). Both alphabets have 30 letters

Religion:

The main religion is Orthodox Christian which has its center – the Serbian Patriarchy in Belgrade with the Patriarch (the equivalent to the Pope in Catholic religion).

The Serbian church follows the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the regular world calendar we all use (called Gregorian). That means that we celebrate Christmas on 7^th of January. We also celebrate the Serbian New Year on 13^th January, so we are among rare countries in the world that have 2 real New Year’s Eves which are celebrated equally

Particular celebrations:

Slava. It’s a family feast when all the friends and relatives come and eat together various local food. It’s really a particular authentic event, dating back from the pagan times. In the countryside it can last for 3 days.

It can be “greasy” slava - when there’s pork meat, or” “ungreasy” slava (a period starting 6 weeks before and ends on Orthodox Christmas, on 7^th January) when the main dish is - fish. On 19th December is the biggest slava of all - St. Nicholas. Saying goes that half of Serbia celebrates this slava, and the other half of Serbia is invited.

Food:

Kajmak – The fat from skimmed milk is left in a wooden receptacle to grow old. It’s kept in wooden lodge where the meat is being smoked so that kajmak can absorb the aroma. Ususally it’s put on the bread, but can be eaten separately.

Ajvar – made of baked and minced red peppers, flavoured with lots of spices, usually eaten in winter months and on slavas.

Slatko – made of whole fruits in a sweet syrup and it literally means “sweet” in Serbian. It is served when the guests arrive, and since it’s so sweet only one spoon will load you with glucose for a whole day.

Rakija – Serbian plum brandy, though it can be made of pear or grapes. It’s served as an appertitive when you come over to “slava”

Social life:

When you first meet someone in Serbia it is custom to shake hands, no matter female or male. It’s also common that women and woman and a man if they know each other for sometime, kiss each other in the cheek. Men who know each other for some time shake hands only, and might occasionally hug by slapping each other’s back.

When there is an official encounter, it is common to kiss three times, no matter which gender.

Famous Serbs

Ivo Andri? (Nobel Prize winner in literature in 1961) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivo_Andri%C4%87

Mileva Mari? – Eistein http://www.pbs.org/opb/einsteinswife/

Nikola Tesla http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla

Mihajlo Pupin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Pupin

Emir Kusturica http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emir_Kusturica#External_links

Serbia has a royal family too www.royalfamily.org

Since 2004. we implemented a new curriculum according to the Bologna process of reforms.

1st year - Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Human genetics, Basic of Clinical Practice, First Aid, Medicine and Society, English language I

2^nd year – Medical Biochemistry and Chemistry, Medical Physiology, Microbiology and Immunology, Basic of Clinical Practice, Epidemiology II

3^rd year – Pathology, Pathophysiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Clinical Propedeutics, Statistics and Infotmatics

4^th year – Internal Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Infectious Diseases, Dermatovenerology, Neurology, Psychiatry

5^th year – Surgery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Paediatrics, Social Medicine

6^th year – Ophtalmology, Otorhynolaringology and maxillofacial surgery, Hygyene and Occupational Medicine, Forensic Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology

+ Internship

In Belgrade there are several medical centers scattered around the city. They are also educational base for Serbian students. However, the main center is Clinical Center of Serbia, where all foreign students have their clerkship. In the future we will try to make connections with other centers as they are on an equally high level as the main one

School of Medicine, University of Belgrade http://www.med.bg.ac.yu/?newlang=english

Clinical Center Serbia http://www.klinicki-centar.co.yu/

In Novi Sad there is Clinical Center of Vojvodina, which is the main hospital of the Northern province of Vojvodina where all the exchangees have clerkship. There is also very well known Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases in the town of Sremska Kamenica, where the students who are accepted in cardiology have their practice.

School of Medicine, University of Novi Sad http://www.medical.ns.ac.yu/about-faculty

Clinical Center Novi Sad http://www.kcns.co.yu/

In Niš there is a Clinical Center of Niš which is the main health center in the South of country, with the base of med school in Clinical Center of Niš

School of Medicine, University of Niš http://www.medfak.ni.ac.yu/IMS/ISM.htm

In Kragujevac, the main health center of Šumadija region, with the base in Clinical Center Kragujevac

School of Medicine, University of Kragujevac http://www.medf.kg.ac.yu/

Clinical Center Kragujevac http://www.kbc-kg.co.yu/