How the Hospital turned into an impressive institution at the turn of the century.
FOUNDATIONS IN SCIENCE AND GOOD WILL
Tendencies of the citizens of Subotica and health care workers have always been in sink: Together, they aspired for a better, more modern and more efficient health care protection.
At the start of October 1944, just before the liberation of the town, doctors in head positions in Hospital have left Subotica, and the director of the hospital, M.D. Janoš Baranji, has turned over his duties to the new authorities on the 13th of October. In that time, the People’s Liberating Board (PLB) was in charge of the health care protection in town. The duties of the Head physician were taken by M.D. Bela Ostrogonac on the 14th October 1944, organization of the County Office was done by M.D. Obradin Subotin, M.D. Vladeta Savić was in charge of the health care department in the Fund for the sick and leadership of the hospital was entrusted to M.D. Paja Ivković-Ivandekić.
Partizan hospital opened in the offices of the former University of Law, in which they admitted first wounded from the war on the 26th October 1944. It was decided that M.D. Vojislav Stipančević, M.D. Ante Šokčić, M.D. Milutin Samuilov, M.D. Vladeta Savić and M.D. Lajoš Seker work there. In the start of December 1944 the hospital was taken by the Military Institute for Health Care of Bačka, Banat and Baranja which founded the, so called, 3rd Hospital Center. It was first headed by M.D. Ante Perčić and later by M.D. Ante Šokčić. This military center was supervising all military hospitals of the northern Bačka. Due to the large number of wounded another three temporary military hospitals opened which were headed by M.D. Aleksandar Hyl, M.D. Franjo Vidaković and M.D. Bela Ostrogonac. An abandoned estate “Podmanizky” was taken over in December and intended for Convalescence Center in Military Hospital. Hospital for Contagious Diseases opened with the appearance of the spotted typhus, which was headed by M.D. Artur Munk.
The Town Hospital had 510 patient beds in 1944/45, which were divided by wards in the next fashion: for internal diseases (pavilion D) and sub-ward for contagious diseases (pavilion L) 82 beds; surgical ward (pavilion C) 89; ear, nose and throat diseases (pavilion F) 12; gynecology and obstetrics (pavilion C) 60; eye diseases (pavilion F) 99; skin and venereal diseases (pavilion B) with sub-ward for the mentally ill (pavilion K) 169 beds.
DISEASES “MOVE” WARDS
The structure of patient diseases changed from year to year, which was a reason for a wide re-disposition of wards and change in the number of beds. Ward for eye diseases opened in 1947. Because of the large number of patient suffering from tuberculosis in 1951/52, a separate ward was made from the Ward for internal diseases called Ward for lung diseases and tuberculosis in pavilion F. Just around that time some of the other wards were relocated, and the Ward for gynecology and obstetrics was moved to the former Jew Hospital building in Đure Đakovića Street. Blood transfusion station opened in pavilion A in 1953/54, while in 1956 renovation and addition to the Ward for Surgical diseases was made (it got an office for newly implemented endoscopic examinations, two new operating rooms, additional patient rooms, etc.)
According to written documents, the Hospital had 626 beds in 1956/57, divided in the next fashion: internal diseases 107, infectious diseases 29, lung diseases and tuberculosis 92, surgical diseases 91, gynecology and obstetrics 86, ear, nose and throat diseases 40, eye diseases 37, psychiatry 56, children’s diseases 42, skin and venereal diseases 34 and for radiology – ward for radiotherapy 12 patient beds.
In 1960, when construction was finished on the Ward for medical rehabilitation and physical therapy, came to a new increase in the number of hospital beds by 30. That same year, next medical units are found in the Hospital area: pharmacy, clinical and biochemical laboratory, blood transfusion station and pathology with the morgue. There were several plans for renovation of hospital buildings, and one was realized in 1960/61: the morgue pavilion was adapted and the Ward of Pathology opened in a new and modern building.
A NEW BUILDING WITH THE HELP OF THE CITIZENS
The investment plan for the building of the new hospital was approved in July 1960, and on the start of 1961 The People’s Board of the Municipal Region, as the hospital’s founder, adopted the construction program and announced an open competition for the development of the modern building project. Work which was made by R. Gibarac i B. Bogdanović (Belgrade) was chosen. The Fund Reconstruction Board was founded whose memebers were: Aleksandar Radičević (chairman), Vladislava Belić, M.D. Jožef Matković, M.D. Grgo Tumbas, M.D. Vera Rozenfeld, Antun Kopilović, Đura Gabrić, Lajoš Filep and Josip Gabrić. In the Managing Board of the Municipal Health Care Investment Fund were: Marko Poljaković (chairman), Josip Neorčić, Đorđe Vojnić, M.D. Lajčo Kovač, M.D. Milivoje Pavković, M.D. Ivan Tumbas, M.D. Nandor Ilađi, M.D. Otilija Galfi, M.D. Antun Liht, mr pharm. Geza Kon and mr pharm. Jožef Vereš.
At the end of 1961work was started on the construction of the ground pavilion of the specialist-polyclinic ward, as well as on reconstruction on several old hospital buildings. The contract for the development of the main block of the new hospital was signed in June 1962, but only involving construction work. Construction was started immediately, and came to a halt when the construction skeleton reached the 7th floor, in 1963, partly because of the money and partly because the changes suggested by the Expert Medical Commission. Although it was planned to finance this modern object from the funds of the Municipal Region, Province and the Republic and the medical institution itself at the end there wasn’t enough money to finish the building. Because of that a referendum was opened for the contribution of the citizens. The citizen’s contribution, based on the decision of the referendum, was made in the period from the 1st April 1967 to the 31st March 1971. By that means, the hospital construction was completed, and the impressive building for that time was opened in October 1970, but just for – sightseeing. Moving of the wards in the new space of the eight story building was done in 1971 and 1972.
After the moving in of several wards into the new hospital building and the finished adaptation on most of the old pavilions, the hospital had 876 beds divided in the next fashion: children’s diseases with beds for pediatrics 66, neurology and psychiatry 98, eye diseases 30, ear, nose and throat diseases 44, skin and venereal diseases, internal diseases 130, surgical diseases 106, orthopedics and trauma 60, gynecology and obstetrics 101, urology 30, anesthesiology and central intensive care unit 8, lung disease and tuberculosis 82, infectious diseases 32, physical treatment and rehabilitation 34 and oncology 30 patient beds. To the hospital’s new building moved also: Emergency medical service, Blood transfusion ward, Pathology ward, Hospital pharmacy, part of the hospital’s administration, kitchen, washroom, tailor’s shop, storage, wardrobe and other miscellaneous services. Specialist offices were put in the ambulance-polyclinic section, but the wing for the location of the neurological and psychiatric diseases offices with waiting rooms wasn’t built. When the moving in into the new hospital was finished, employed roster looked like this: 60 doctor specialists (6 subspecialists), 25 doctors on specialization, 7 college educated health care workers, 380 high school educated health care workers, 50 basic educated health care workers and 260 workers in other fields. The new Hospital had a Grand Opening on the 21st June 1972 and soon after was set a plank on which gratitude is expressed to the citizen’s contribution which helped in the building of the modern hospital.
From the rich, and of course, far wider history of the Hospital in Subotica, here are some other important facts. In August 1997, the General Hospital in Subotica employs another 4 doctor phd’s and msc’s, 29 subspecialists, 97 specialists, 7 doctors on immediate specialization, 44 doctors on specialization, 9 doctors, 72 college educated nurses, 606 nurses, a total of 869 health care workers.
Distribution of patient beds now looks like this: pediatrics 51, anesthesiology and central intensive care unit 8, neurology 48, urology 30, rehabilitation 32, infectious diseases 26, oncology 30, lung physiology 64, ORL 28, surgery with OR 103, gynecology and obstetrics 99, psychiatry 70, eye diseases 24, skin and venereal diseases 13, internal 130, orthopedics 56, which is a total of 820 patient beds.
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