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The Serbian Armed Forces Medical Corps was engaged in a European Union peacekeeping operation to train the security forces of the Central African Republic (CAR) between April and October this year. Upon the successful completion of the mission, Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Jovanoski, a military staff officer and the Chief of the Medical Service of the mission, said in an interview with Kurir that our professionals had been engaged 24/7 for six months, even in temperatures exceeding 55° Celsius.
“We stayed in the CAR capital of Bangui from 13 April to 22 October this year. There were about 250 patients in the course of six months. Thankfully, there were no severe injuries, or seriously ill patients. In addition to the widespread malaria and other, mostly infectious diseases, one of the more difficult cases was certainly an injury caused by a kitchen knife,” Lieutenant Colonel Jovanoski recalled in his interview with Kurir, adding:
“There were numerous challenges during our stay – security, health-related, and climate ones – as it is a different continent, and it’s hard to compare it to Serbia in any way. Every day was different, but one thing was regular – military activities. The duty that I had was as an advisor to the mission commander, while the rest of the six-strong medical team was engaged in the medical treatment of the mission members.”
Lieutenant Colonel Jovanoski also pointed out that there were no work hours on the mission.
“You’re engaged around the clock. The work hours were defined, but the members of the medical team had to always be available for medical emergencies. We adopted quickly to the climate conditions. The highest outside temperature on record during our stay on the mission was 55.2° Celsius, with 35° Celsius in closed and air-conditioned spaces. In addition to the high temperature, we had to withstand the high air humidity. I have to add here that the rainy season, during which we stayed there on the mission, had really high precipitation, which meant a large number of mosquitos. That said, as time went on, everyone got used to the new conditions – some more easily, others less so.”
Most members of this team had already had some experience from the previous peacekeeping missions, which contributed towards an easier adaptation to the conditions of life and work in Africa.
“In Bangui, Serbia has a military Level 2+ hospital, which belongs to the United Nations. Although we were on an EU mission, which is entirely separate from the UN mission, we had a great collaboration with our hospital. We would relay all the health-related dilemmas that the members of our mission had to the Serbian UN hospital, and owing to the professionalism of our staff, they were taken care of. The Serbian hospital is very important segment of the UN mission. It provides the peacekeeping forces’ first and second lines of healthcare defence, urgent surgical and other interventions, basic dental care, as well as evacuation of the injured and the ill.”
Lieutenant Colonel Jovanoski also noted that the EUTM RCA mission for him meant an important personal and professional experience.
“Military missions are ideal opportunities to present the Serbian Armed Forces and our country in an international environment in the most positive light. We gained new experiences, learnt many lessons. When you find yourself in such an environment, far from your own country, family, and friends, what you do gain is a priceless experience.”
Kurir.rs/ Aleksandra Kocić