A Mosaic of Medicine introduces Slovak doctors

Bratislava, April 26, 2007 - A splash of sparkling wine sent the book
A Mosaic of Slovak Medicine on its voyage into the Panta Rhei book store in Bratislava’s Polus City Centre shopping mall on April 26. SAFS together with authors of interviews (Dagmar Krištofičová and Gustav Bartovic) tried to remove the white jackets from 16 prominent personalities of Slovak medicine to uncover the person behind the profession.

"Every name in this book is an authority. All these personalities are and always will be an inspiration and example for young people, current and future doctors of course, but also anyone who wants to achieve certain professional and career goals," said Soňa Strachotová, Executive Director of the Slovak Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (SAFS) and one of two godmothers of the book, at the ceremony. The second godmother Mária Jasenková, director of the Plamienok Children‘s Hospice, hoped that the book would receive an enthusiastic response and that people would buy and read it.

The hospice will get all the revenues from the sale of the book.

Soňa Strachotová (left) and Mária Jasenková (right) sent A Mosaic of Slovak Medicine on its voyage.

Since the book was published also in English, the ambition of its publisher (SAFS) and authors of interviews is also to draw attention to Slovak doctors abroad.

All interviews in the book were created especially for this publication. Feelings of the authors of interviews from work on this book were following:

“Meeting people who have something to say, something to share, is one of the most beautiful, encouraging, and enriching aspects of a journalist’s work. These conversations were pleasant, exceptionally interesting, humane, surprisingly open, and full of willingness to share thoughts on both profession and life. You get this great feeling that the Slovak health service has its heroes and pioneers, maintains a high professional standard, and that these people did not lose their sense of humanity. On the contrary; their profession, which is at the same time their devotion, has also shaped them as human beings,” said Dagmar Krištofičová.

“I was looking forward to conducting these interviews. Eight years ago, when these doctors and institute staff – two of whom are presented in this book – pulled me back from the vestibule of a mortuary, I could see the state of Slovak medicine, and what these people were capable of. The institute was abolished by the authorities, but the professionals remained in the health service, including the great figures I had the pleasure of interviewing. They all help to bring us back to life with wisdom and lovely stubbornness. They give some a chance to stay longer, and others something they did not have before – a chance to be born into this world. They populate and humanise the world, with all the layers of meanings that these two words can have,” added Gustav Bartovic.

Publishing of the book was also supported by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).

List of doctors involved in the book:
prof. Breza; MUDr. Caisová – Škultétyová; prof. Danko; prof. Dluholucký; prof. Ďuriš; mim. prof. Chovan; prof. Krčméry; prof. Krištúfek; prof. Murín; MUDr. Némethyová; prof. Novotný; prof. Payer; MUDr. Siracká; prof. Štencl; prof. Tóthová; prof. Traubner.

View the Photo Report from this event