Britain and Serbia: Together we save lives

Hello! The Serbian word for greeting actually means that you wish someone good health. We all want good health for ourselves, family and friends. In almost every country in the world, the economy and health are consistently the two issues most important to citizens. But did you know about the close ties between Britain and Serbia in the field of health and medicine?

The story begins during the First World War. The heroic resistance of Serbia to the attacks of Austria-Hungary in 1915 inspired the British, while the news of the terrible typhus epidemic, which will kill at least 160.000 people, encouraged public sympathy. Huge sums of money were donated to the "Serbian Support Fund" in order to finance hospitals throughout Serbia. Dr. William Hunter pioneered new methods of disinfection, including the so-called Serbian or Hunter's barrel, in order to limit the spread of disease. Hundreds of British volunteers - mostly Scottish women - rushed to Serbia as doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and paramedics, selflessly risking their lives to save thousands of others. Some died together with their patients and were buried here. I recently attended a very moving ceremony in Kragujevac to mark the 110th anniversary of the death of Dr. Elizabeth Ross from typhus. Similar ceremonies are held every year in Mladenovac, Leskovac, Bajina Bašta and Vranje. Serbia does not forget those who offered help in the darkest days.

The story continued through World War II. The Royal Air Force formed a special formation with Yugoslav personnel, the Balkan Air Force, which played a key role in evacuating the victims. As former Partisan colonel Vladimir Dedier later noted in his diaries: "This accommodation of the wounded in Italy was the greatest help we received from the Allies during the war. It did not only mean safely saving the lives of our wounded comrades, but also relieving the burden on our units, which thus became much more mobile. They did not have to provide comrades to carry the wounded, to secure them, but could maneuver freely."

Cooperation even after the Second World War

Medical contacts continued in peacetime conditions when a group of British plastic surgeons and anesthesiologists arrived in Belgrade in 1945 to help treat numerous military veterans and civilians who suffered deformities during the war. The first team of visitors from the UK was led by Dr. Patrick Shackleton, who was followed in May 1946 by Dr. Russell Davies. These two men can rightly be considered the founders of modern anesthesiology in the former Yugoslavia. A year after their departure from Belgrade, anesthesiology was recognized as an independent subspecialty branch, and in 1948 the first specialist exams were held. Shackleton and Davis later inspired the founding of the Yugoslav Association of Anesthesiologists, after meeting 26 Yugoslav colleagues at the 4th World Congress of Anesthesiologists in London in 1968. Their legacy can be seen in the extraordinary work that anesthesiologists do every day here in Belgrade, and in hospitals across Serbia, reducing patients' pain and saving lives.

Today, in 2025, medical cooperation between Britain and Serbia takes many forms. My older daughter recently had minor surgery at the Mother and Child Institute. Her surgeon, as well as her anesthetist, trained at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London, probably the most famous pediatric hospital in the world. They are living proof of the exceptional, almost 40-year-long cooperation between GOSH and the Institute, whose inspiring catalyst and leader is Dr. Mila Stajević. Last year, I met two leading British surgeons from GOSH who traveled to Belgrade to perform extremely complex pediatric cardiac surgery procedures. This is a partnership that saves lives.

Medical Professional Connections

The British-Serbian Medical Society does a fantastic job of connecting medical professionals from both our countries and providing scholarships to enable them to travel to the UK for courses and seminars. I am constantly meeting new eminent doctors of Serbian origin in Britain, who are at the top of their profession. Also worth mentioning are the regular visits to Serbia by British medical professionals, who share their experiences with local colleagues. One concrete example is the conference on colorectal surgery, which is held every other year in Pancevo, just across the Danube. The relationships that have been built with UK colleagues in this area have led to the laparoscopy training program in Serbia being organized to mirror the highly successful training model in the UK.

I am also very pleased that 110 years after the first British doctors and nurses arrived in Serbia, in the midst of a typhus epidemic, our partnership in military medicine is "alive and well". This week, Major General Tim Hodgetts, former Surgeon General of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, will visit Serbia to give a lecture at the Military Medical Academy (MMA) in Belgrade, where he is a visiting lecturer. Two British military medical delegations visited Serbia last year for training in specializations ranging from war surgery and toxicology to anesthesia. Our Serbian friends are also regular visitors to the UK - nurses from Serbia take part in the annual Florence Nightingale commemoration at St Paul's Cathedral, while Serbian military doctors won a notable second place in an international military skills competition, beating even their British hosts!

The importance of AstraZeneca

Finally, a few words about medicines. AstraZeneca is the largest company present on the London Stock Exchange. In various forms, they have actually been present in Belgrade since 1978, the year I was born. For 47 years, they have been helping to save lives and improve the quality of life of thousands and thousands of people in Serbia. I am especially proud that during the COVID pandemic, unlike other manufacturers, AstraZeneca sold its vaccine to Serbia, but also around the world, on a non-profit basis. Because of all this, I was really delighted that earlier this month, during the visit of UK Foreign Minister David Lammy to Serbia, President Vučić announced plans to add new, world-leading AstraZeneca drugs to the list of the Republic Health Insurance Fund. I hope this will make a huge and positive difference for Serbian patients and their families.

I am writing this blog at the Elsie Inglis Home. The residence of the British ambassador in Belgrade was officially named after a Scottish doctor (surgeon), who founded 14 hospitals in Serbia during the First World War. I hope that Dr. Inglis will soon become the first woman to be awarded a bronze statue in the center of Edinburgh, her home city. What a wonderful tribute it will be to this extraordinary partnership in health and medicine - a partnership that is over 100 years old and still saves lives today.

May we be alive and well.