Bulgarian military doctors take part in dozens of missions in the world's hot spots

The vocation of a military doctor - two of the first MMA cadets speak to BNR

published on 12/1/23 1:57 PM

Photo: vma.bg

The Military Medical Academy in Sofia is celebrating 132 years since its foundation. On 1 December 1891, an order of the Minister of War came into force, establishing the Sofia General Garrison Hospital and appointing Dr Georgi Zolotovich, one of the founders of the Bulgarian Medical Association, as its first director.

Established over a century ago to serve the needs of military personnel only, the Academy is now open to all and is one of the most innovative hospitals in Bulgaria. MMA specialists have been involved in dozens of relief missions to various disaster areas around the world, the first of which dates back to 1904 - in distant Manchuria.

In 2017, the Military Medical Academy, together with the Prof. Dr Paraskev Stoyanov Medical University in Varna and the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, became one of the three training centres for military medics in Bulgaria.

As of 2021, the MMA has a Medical Simulation Training Center, the only facility of its kind in Bulgaria, providing realistic medical training for medical corpsmen.

Recently, the first batch of military doctors received their officer ranks. Is it risky to be a military doctor?

"It depends on how strong a person's will is. When someone takes on the responsibility of studying two courses at the same time at the age of 18, it's quite a big gap between military and medical training, but we managed it without a hitch," said Lieutenant Dr Petya Petrova, a military doctor at Bezmer Air Base in Yambol, in the BNR podcast "At the Centre of the System".

"I believe that we are adequately prepared for the work that awaits us, even though we know that we have a lot of training ahead of us related to the work we will be doing," adds Lieutenant Dr Bogomil Ivanov, a military doctor at the Novo Selo Training Area near Sliven. - During our time at the Medical and Naval University, we gained experience in both military and medical environments, and I know we have a wonderful future ahead of us."

Lieutenant Dr. Bogomil Ivanov and Lieutenant Dr. Petya Petrova

Both doctors are open to the idea of further study abroad, but for the time being they would rather do their work in Bulgaria.

"I would like to train abroad because the Allied armies have developed military medical support and I would like to learn from their experience. We had a training exercise with the Tennessee Army National Guard here this summer and we were very impressed with their teaching methods".

Anaesthesiology is the specialty that appeals to Dr Petya Petrova. She plans to study in Germany, but admits:

"First I will stay in Bulgaria, at the Military Medical Academy, and then, if possible, go abroad for further training. It would give us more experience and the opportunity to learn from foreign militaries to improve our response capabilities in terms of evacuations and helping patients in need.

Both doctors are willing to deploy to hotspots around the world, provided their knowledge and skills are up to the task. They believe that it is very important for any military doctor to be able to remain calm and respond to mass casualty situations, and to be able to carry out an initial primary triage assessment as quickly as possible. "In combat, there are a lot of casualties and our medical capabilities are limited. We need to be able to help as many people as possible with the resources we have.

The young doctors have recommendations for improving the health system. They strongly believe that citizens across the country should have an equal and real chance of getting help. Doctors and nurses should be much better paid and have easier access to work in the system.

Compiled by Ioan Kolev /based on interviews by Gergana Hrischeva, BNR-Horizont Channel/

Photos: MMA, Gergana Hrischeva - BNR, personal archive

Translated and posted by Elizabeth Radkova

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