Ministry of Defence makes provision of occupational health care more effective at its Sliač Outpatient Clinic

Speaking at a press conference, Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš said: “For the past 10 years, we have paid approx. 250,000 euros a year for the services delivered by civilian contractors, with the prices of the services going up on a year-to-year basis. The provision of medical services under our own direction and control makes us self-reliant even in the case of potential crisis situations.”

As he explained, the main task of the Centre is to provide specialist screening and assessment of medical fitness of flying personnel for Air Service and of candidates for active duty service in selected branches/trades of the SVK Air Force, including future pilots, flight engineers, stewards, observers, air traffic controllers, SOF specialists, and other trades in military aviation.

Besides this, the Air Medical Centre provides lectures and may also be used by civilian employees in Defence as well as service personnel. It is now undergoing a certification process to achieve the status of a civil aviation medical facility, which is another vital capability.

Director of the Sliač Air Medical Centre MUDr Ivana Gutzelnig said: “I am very pleased that, through our common efforts, we have managed to build a highly specialized, state-of-the-art workplace, which will regularly assess medical fitness of personnel for Air Service independently of civilian facilities and provide qualified occupational health care for military flying personnel and, in the near future, for civilian aviation as well.”

The specialised Air Medical Centre is housed in the SVK MOD’s Sliač Outpatient Clinic, which has seen its civil engineering networks upgraded due to the highly specialized nature of medical examinations, and several specialist devices and equipment and have been added.

The Ružomberok Central Military Hospital – Faculty Hospital has a new cutting edge addition, too. This is a new mammograph with 3D navigation, which will make the time of a medical examination considerably shorter and will improve diagnosis. Compared to older devices, it has also decreased the radiation burden. Moreover, thanks to its latest specialist software, the doctor can have scans within a few seconds. Ultimately, the new mammograph means taking medical care not only for servicewomen but also for civilian female patients to a higher level.