“The NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine responds to modern-day challenges in military medicine and is an important cornerstone of maintaining contact with the civilian sector” – said Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő, the Chief of the MoD Defence Staff in Budapest on March 30.

The SUN (Semmelweis University + NATO) Symposium – the joint conference of the Semmelweis University (SOTE) and the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine (NATO MILMED COE) – started in Budapest on March 30. With the support of the Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy Clinic, the two institutions concluded a cooperation agreement last autumn. Since then, 30 NATO soldiers have participated in further training courses at the clinic, while the participants of the two-day conference that started on Friday exchanged ideas on topics such as anesthesiology, intensive therapy, emergency medical care and military medicine.

In his opening speech, Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő, the Chief of the Defence Staff said that soldiers and doctors serve the community alike. Speaking about the current state of military medicine, he told the audience that with the transformation of mass armies, the rise of asymmetric warfare and the security risks of the modern age, the experts have to meet new challenges as they emerge. Additionally, they typically perform their activities in multinational environments, always being ready to cooperate with other nations.

Gen. Benkő said he was proud to see the NATO MILMED COE operating in Hungary. The existence of this institution symbolizes the enormous need for similar activities, and the Centre is ready to tackle the arising problems. In addition, the NATO MILMED COE is an important means of maintaining contact with the civil sector, since military doctors and civil experts can mutually learn from each other – and the present conference serves the same purpose too.

The Chief of Defence closed his speech by wishing a successful and meaningful symposium for the participants.

(Ministry of Defence)