HISTORY

In 1867, the county physician and some of the more prominent citizens of the time, decided after several attempts to finally eastablish a hospital. Backed up by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Dukedom of Serbia and the County authorities, in January of the same year they rented the house of then former County Head Aleksa Andonović, in which the first regional hospital started working by the end of October.

The first Manager of the hospital was Dr Franc Tesar’s successor, the County Physician Franc Biheli. Just like in most Serbian towns, there had been professional, educated doctors in Valjevo even before the hospital was founded. The first doctor ever mentioned in historical sources was Dr Jovan Stejić in 1830. In late January 1842, Dr Franz Budai, a highly capable and talented Master of surgery originally from Budapest, who spoke several European languages, became Valjevo’s county physician. He was later replaced by Dr Jovan Mašin, father of the well-known engineer Mašin, first husband of Draga Obrenović, who was later to become the Queen of Serbia. Dr Mašin, who also spoke several languages, graduated from the medical school in Vienna and acquired his MA degree in surgery in Budapest and MA degree in gynecology and obstetrics in Prague. In the period between 1890 and 1894, Valjevo’s physician was Dr Lazar Dimitrijević, who at the time published a book entitled “The Ways of Our People” in which he described the living conditions of rural population. In his book, Dimitrijević stressed the necessity of improving the health culture in rural areas.

Ever since those days, numerous generations of doctors and nurses have shared their knowledge and humanity for the benefit of the people of Kolubara District and the rest of Serbia. The Valjevo hospital of 1914-15. became the symbol of medical sacrifice and humanity. Beseiged by the great military battles that took place in its immediate surroundings, the whole town turned itself into a big open hospital, thus forever carving its name into the glorious history of the Serbian people.

Valjevo’s healthcare institution and its personnel kept growing along with its people. Upon the return of educated doctors from all around the world, the town itself went through a process of technological and cultural progression. Doctors were bearers of modern ideas, they were the first writers and translators in Valjevo, they founded the tennis club, music school, amity societies with other countries and organized cultural events. Among other, alredy mentioned doctors, Valjevo was also the residence and workplace of eminent experts such as Selimir Đorđević, Jovan Mijušković, Vladimir Đurović and many other medical professionals who, in their own eras, left irrevocable marks in Serbian and Yugoslav medical science.

Finding inspiration in the heritage of its ancestors, Valjevo’s helathcare today is open for new achievements and rapid improvement of contemporary medicine, which can primarily be accomplished through the acquisition of modern equipment, obtaining new diagnostic, therapeutical and surgical methods, continuous medical education and introduction of organizational improvements and modern management.