THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NEW DEPARTMENT OF INTENSIVE CARE “HRH CROWN PRINCESS KATHERINE KARADJORDJEVIC” AT THE UNIVERSITY CHILDREN’S CLINIC IN TIRSOVA

The Foundation of HRH Crown Princess Katherine donated a neonatal incubator and 10 infusion pumps worth 20 thousand Euros

Belgrade, 24 May 2005 – Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine, and Prof. Dr. Tomica Milosavljevic, Minister of Health, officially opened today the new department for intensive care and therapy “HRH Crown Princess Katherine Karadjordjevic” at the University Children’s Clinic in Tirsova Street in Belgrade.

On the occasion of the official opening of the new unit of the University Children’s Clinic, the Foundation of HRH Crown Princess Katherine delivered one neonatal incubator and 10 infusion pumps. This donation worth 20 thousand Euros is a joint gift of friends of HRH Crown Princess Katherine from Switzerland and the PNOE Foundation from Greece.

This is only the beginning of the great project of equipping all neonatal departments of intensive care with the necessary equipment and incubators in clinical centers in Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Nis, which was started by the Foundation of HRH Crown Princess Katherine in collaboration with experts from these departments, and which will be realized in cooperation with humanitarian organization Lifeline Hellas from Greece which is also under the patronage of HRH Crown Princess Katherine.

Prof. Dr. Zoran Krstic, Director of University Children’s Clinic, wished a warm welcome to the esteemed guests, to Their Royal Highnesses, to Minister of Health and to directors of Belgrade hospitals, as well as to a great number of experts from the field of medicine.

“With the ward for intensive care, which we are officially opening today, we received a pediatric, surgery and neonatal department in one place, which will make the work of doctors much easier and will improve the conditions for work”- Prof. Dr Zoran Krstic pointed out, and emphasized that the Children’s Clinic receives over 500 thousand patients per year, so the clinic has to be reconstructed each 7 years.

Mr. Boris Stajkovac, Director of the Center for Child Care also thanked HRH Crown Princess Katherine for her unselfish charity through all these years and emphasized that the heart of this clinic, the new department for intensive care has a full right to be named after HRH Crown Princess Katherine Karadjordjevic.

The esteemed guests, doctors, the rest of the medical staff and representatives of the press were also addressed by the Minister of Health Prof. Dr Tomica Milosavljevic, who pointed out that the Clinic in Tirsova Street represents a good example of cooperation with the population and that all medical institutions should gradually tend to the principle of self-viability of the health system.

HRH Crown Princess Katherine stated: “This is a special day for me. I am proud that this new department of intensive care and therapy will carry my name. The day is also special because this is the first step, the beginning of the realization of one large project, on which my Foundation works together with Lifeline humanitarian organization from Greece”. After the statement she received an unexpected bouquet of flowers from a girl who is a patient of this clinic.