The health minister, Stephen Donnelly, signed the legislation on Monday and said he looked forward to other countries following the example – a prospect that has worried Italy’s winemakers and people in several other EU member states.

The law would take effect from 22 May 2026 to give businesses time to adapt to a policy that mimics existing rules for other food and drink products, said Donnelly. “With that information, we can make an informed decision about our own alcohol consumption. Packaging of other food and drink products already contains health information and, where appropriate, health warnings. This law is bringing alcohol products into line with that.”

Hildegarde Naughton, the minister for public health, wellbeing and the national drugs strategy, said medical evidence showed even low levels of alcohol consumption incurred a cancer risk.

Alcoholic drink providers will be compelled to display the information and warnings on product packaging and also to direct consumers to the website of Ireland’s Health Service Executive for further information on alcohol consumption. Similar information will also be made available in pubs and other licensed premises.

Alcohol consumption in Ireland peaked in 2001 when the average person drank 14.3 litres of pure alcohol a year. That has fallen to 10.2 litres, according to the Health Research Board.

The European Commission did not object to Ireland’s plan, which the government flagged last year, despite protests from Italy, Spain and six other EU member states.

Coldiretti, Italy’s biggest farmers’ association, described the “terrifying” warnings as a “direct attack”. “The green light from the European Union for alarmist wine labels in Ireland represents a dangerous precedent as it risks opening the door to other legislation capable of negatively influencing consumer choices.”

Source: theguardian.com

The post Ireland To Introduce World-First Alcohol Health Labelling Policy appeared first on CorD Magazine.

Serbians have been using the advantages of digitalisation in a number of areas of life and work, and as digitalisation is also spreading to the health system, it is providing us with the same opportunities: at one click to make an appointment with a selected doctor, to have all medical reports and analysis, to gain insight into the health card of your child or other family member.

THE UNIQUE ELECTRONIC HEALTH CARD

The unique electronic health card is a system that connects health institutions in Serbia that have digitalised data (there are currently around 285). It records patients’ visits and provides a doctor’s report, laboratory findings, radiological recordings (X-ray, scanner, …), discharge notices, vaccination reports, access to the list of prescription medicines and all other data recorded in the patient’s health card. The system covers primary, secondary and tertiary health institutions, general hospitals, special hospitals, Covid hospitals and institutes. The importance of unified health data lies primarily in timely disclosure, treatment and prevention of disease.

The unique electronic health card provides insight to a patient in the health system and allows access to the patient’s documentation at any time. Besides patients, electronic health cards are also valuable to medical workers, because selected doctors have insight into data from other health institutions through this system. They can very quickly access the patient’s medical history without the use of paper analysis and recordings that until now patients have had to carry with them.

PARENTS AND CHILDREN

On the patient portal, a patient is automatically connected to their coinsured, so a parent or guardian who is the main insured person is approved access to the records of their child, and can make an appointment with a selected pediatrician, download evidence of immunisation, inspect all analysis, medical reports, X-rays…

Thanks to all these systems, a space is opening for the use of even more advanced solutions in the field of artificial intelligence in diagnosis and treatment of patients and further development of tele-medicine

SPECIALIST DOCTORS

Access to a unified electronic health card will soon be enabled for specialist doctors with the electronic consent of the patient. It is planned for a message to be delivered on the patient eHealth portal notifying the patient that a particular specialist doctor wants to access the electronic health card, and asking whether the patient agrees to give access to the requested data.

ACCESS TO THE HEALTH CARD

Each patient registered on the eHealth portal with a high authentication level can access their health card created in the system. We can share data from electronic cards with people from the contact list on the eHealth portal (family members, friends, doctors) on the basis of specific authorization for the data we want to share.

You can obtain insight into your health data in 2 steps:

1. Register as an e-Citizen on the e-Government portal, opening a user account – eID (a mobile app)
2. Users of a qualified electronic certificate using the eID service may also access the eHealth portal. This can be obtained free of charge from the police, if you have an ID card with a chip. eHealth

IN NUMBERS

During the Corona virus epidemic, more than three million accesses were registered on the eHealth portal: the system has about 1.5 million registered users, and about 250,000 users have an account registered with electronic signature or two-factor authentication, and a mobile application now available for more than six months has about 30,000 users.

EPRESCRIPTION

In Serbia, eight million prescriptions on average are issued monthly, and about 6.5 million of them are used. Every day, as many as 400,000 prescriptions are issued, and the value of the prescribed medicines is 250 million euros a year! Before the introduction of the system, doctors were reduced to the level of administrative workers due to the huge number of prescriptions issued but with the introduction of ePrescription services they now have a lot more time to dedicate to their patients. Today, there is absolute control over the issuing of prescriptions, because they are all issued digitally. Thanks to the ePrescription, considerable savings are achieved each month.

The unique electronic health card provides insight to the patient in the health system and allows access to the patient’s documentation at any time. Besides patients, the electronic health card is also valuable to medical workers, because selected doctors have insight into data from other health institutions through this system

NATIONAL MEDICAL PLATFORM FOR PREVENTION AND DIAGNOSTICS

One of the active and most comprehensive digitalisation projects in Serbia also includes the national medical platform for prevention and diagnostics, consisting of: an image archive, a central radiological information system, eRadiolology (radiological diagnostics), mammography (breast screening), cervical screening, the eHealth Patient portal and a large number of local systems.

THE CENTRAL RADIOLOGICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM

The platform has enabled huge benefits to all participants in radiological diagnostics. Patients have experienced great benefits by establishing tele-radiology between large diagnostic centres and small establishments; During the pandemic and today, doctors have been able to work remotely with faster decision-making, and to hold remote consultations. The number of repeated examinations and unnecessary radiation of patients has been reduced. The system now holds more than 200 million radiological images and more than four million reports.

EDC

Electric Death Certificates have been digitalised and to date 45,000 have been issued.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITALISATION FOR SERBIAN PUBLIC HEALTH

Digitalisation provides health workers valuable insight into patient health, helps to to draw conclusions about public health and to devise prevention and treatment programmes thanks to the huge database. All of the Serbian health systems provide a huge base of knowledge for health workers, students and future radiologists. The systems are constantly improved through cooperation in accordance with the needs of patients, health professionals and world trends in healthcare, and are in constant communication with the republic health insurance fund. Thanks to all these systems, a space is opening for the use of even more advanced solutions in the field of artificial intelligence in diagnosis and treatment of patients and further development of tele-medicine.

The post Advanced Solutions For Better Health Care appeared first on CorD Magazine.

Speaking about the $127,000 USAID donation to Batut PHI, the institute’s Director Dr Verica Jovanović said: “Thanks to the needs which were identified and this donation, the working conditions and equipment for several organizational units of the Institute, where services and communication were provided, have been improved. We are able to provide counselling in medical nutritional therapy and prevention on a wider scale and improve the provision of services in the Immunization Outpatient Clinic. Also, through the newly equipped space, we improved the delivery of various types of educational, training and expert meetings.”

In addition to the refurbished and equipped “Batut” premises, three fully equipped ambulances, with a value of $170,000, were handed over today to the directors of the Primary Health Care Centers of Smederevo, Požarevac and Petrovac na Mlavi. The ambulances will help ensure that citizens in these towns can be transported to hospitals and receive urgent medical assistance on time.

“Since the beginning of 2020, the United States of America, primarily through USAID, has given more than 12 million USD to support Serbia in the fight against the pandemic. I am glad that the equipment, ambulances and the Immunization Department that we saw today will also help health workers in Serbia to be better prepared to deal with everyday health challenges,” said Brooke Isham, USAID Mission Director in Serbia.

“I especially want to thank the American people for the great help that has arrived to Serbia. We achieved excellent results in the fight against the pandemic thanks to the fact that the Government of Serbia fully supported the health system. This pandemic has also taught us that people are the most important part of the system, and that is why we have invested in ensuring that everyone receives the health services they need, so that no one is left behind,” said Prof. Dr. Ferenc Vicko, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health.

In partnership with USAID, UNDP is assisting Serbia to fully recover from the COVID-19 crisis and to become better prepared for similar challenges in the future. While we are hopefully nearing the end of this pandemic, we need to continue building the resilience of national health care systems, strengthening the infrastructure and supporting our public health experts in their work”, said Yakup Beris UNDP Serbia Resident Representative.

This event showcased the wider support of the American people for the Serbian healthcare system.

“Through the response to COVID-19, we have recognized the power of people to deliver science-based interventions that respond to population needs where they are needed most – in the community. In the current environment of constant crisis, which should be accepted as the new normal, we expect these interventions to have a domino effect, not only on the response to COVID-19, but also on other health challenges, by empowering people and strengthening the resilience of the system”, emphasized Dr. Fabio Scano, representative of the World Health Organization in Serbia.

“We are honoured to work with an institution that has such a rich history,” said Steve Ollis, programme director of USAID’s E-Health project, adding, “We are pleased to build on that foundation by transforming the use of health data in support of a stronger health care system for everyone in Serbia.”

Donations to “Batut” PHI and to three Primary Health Care Centres in Serbia – are part of the “Together against COVID” project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The “Batut” national institute also received assistance within the USAID-funded “COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out” project implemented by the World Health Organization and the “E-Health” project implemented by the John Snow Research and Training Institute, Inc. (JSI). All projects are realized in partnership with the Government of Serbia, which has identified investments to help strengthen healthcare and research facilities as priority areas for support.

Foto: UNDP Serbia

The post United States Donation For Strengthening “Batut” Public Health Institute appeared first on CorD Magazine.

On the initiative of Tobias Flessenekmper, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, funds were raised to provide equipment for work for the dedicated staff of “Batut”. He was accompanied by H.E. Virginia Pina, Ambassador of Portugal, H.E. Mohammed Belhaj, Ambassador of Morocco and Miloš Janković from the Catalyst Foundation during the symbolic hand-over of the donation. The office equipment valued at about 3500 EUR donated to “Batut” will improve the daily work of staff, who are committed in fighting the infectious diseases.

Professor Verica Jovanović, Director of the Institute of Public Health “Batut” welcomed the distinguished guests and said: “We hope that we will together respond to every future challenge in regard to health risks and that this donation will contribute to this response”.

The post Donation To Institute Of Public Health “Batut” appeared first on CorD Magazine.

As one of the leading real estate companies in the region, MPC Properties has greatly contributed to the promotion and popularization of green construction for the past 10 years. This is confirmed by the buildings in the company’s portfolio that obtained the most important world certificates. UŠĆE Shopping Center is one of the first and largest certified shopping centers in the region and in Europe, the Navigator Business complex has been awarded the prestigious LEED Gold Certificate, while the business building UŠĆE Tower Two was designed and built-in accordance with the BREEAM standard. Placing the well-being of its lessees and visitors in the foreground, MPC Properties is also the first company in Serbia that has been awarded the most prestigious “WELL Health-Safety” Certificate for a portfolio of eight business and retail facilities, awarded by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI).

In order to implement its green strategy, MPC Properties has developed and plans to further develop a number of projects. There is currently a 400 m² of solar power plant with a power of 50 kW located on the roof of the UŠĆE Shopping Center. The energy generated is currently being used to charge electric vehicles in the garage, and there is a plan for the installation of additional solar panels on an area of 1,600 m2 with a power of 311kW. The total power of all solar power plants intended to be installed on the roofs of MPC Properties shopping centers will be 4,300.00 kW, while their annual generation of power should be about 4,921,355.00kWh. With this power, it will be possible to provide electricity for 900 households and, if we assume that the average number of members per household is 2.5, we arrive at the conclusion that the solar power plants on the roofs of MPC Properties shopping centers can provide a power supply to a settlement with 2,250 residents.

MPC Properties promotes alternative means of transportation, thus supporting the use of green vehicles, and therefore providing drivers of electric cars, bicycles, and scooters with adequate parking stations with chargers, which provide comfort and the necessary infrastructure for their users, while on the other hand they promote an eco-friendly lifestyle and indirectly affect the health of visitors. There is a total of 400 bicycle parking spaces in the entire MPC Properties network of business facilities and shopping centers, promoting alternative means of transportation and their contribution to clean air and a healthy lifestyle. Also, MPC facilities have 46 chargers for electric cars, and UŠĆE Shopping Center is the first shopping center in the Balkans with a BIKEEP smart city parking station with chargers for electric bicycles and scooters. By the end of the year, such a station will also be positioned in other shopping centers owned by MPC Properties.

“By using our innovative and integrated approach to business, supported by the MPC expertise in the construction and management of modern shopping destinations and business centers, our mission is to implement solutions the goal of which is to upgrade and improve the lives of people in the community that we gather. We are pioneers on the market when it comes to implementing the ESG strategy in the real estate industry. In the coming period, we will pay special attention to the inclusion of our business partners, employees, and users of our facilities through company projects in this globally important issue. Our dedication to the well-being of the community can be seen through the numerous certificates we have, of which I would like to single out the “WELL Health-Safety” Portfolio Certificate awarded by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)”, said Maxence Liagre, the CEO of MPC Properties.

MPC Properties pays great attention to recycling, and therefore 312 t of cardboard and 12 t of glass are recycled every year. Also, about 480 m³ of organic matter is converted into valuable fertilizer that is further used in the portfolio, and it is currently in the process of being introduced and composted at the UŠĆE complex, where we are planning to purchase food composting machines for waste with a capacity of up to 274 kg/day.

Sustainable green roof gardens within the MPC Properties portfolio provide a healthy environment and a perfect place for building users to relax, while simultaneously contributing to cleaner air, supporting biodiversity and a healthier ecosystem in general. Currently, MPC owns a green roof on the Navigator Business Center 1, and it is planning to install a green roof covering an area of 800 m² on the roof of the UŠĆE Shopping Center, including an urban vegetable garden that will be irrigated with rainwater. Simultaneously with the installation of green roofs, beehives were also introduced on the MPC facilities – a total of 5 beehives on the roof of the UŠĆE Shopping Center, 7 beehives on the roofs of business buildings in the MPC business portfolio (UŠĆE business centers 1 and 2 and the Navigator Business complex), as well as 5 hotels for bees on the roof of BEO Shopping Center. Bees are among the most crucial members of our ecosystem, responsible for pollinating plants that play a significant part in our food supply and help control erosion, provide habitat for animals, and increase oxygen levels while mitigating carbon dioxide.

In addition to its dedication to green projects, MPC Properties is also focused on creating destinations that provide a unique experience to its users. Its focus is also on building a strong community gathered around the company’s shopping centers and office buildings, through several socially responsible initiatives and marketing activities, which encourage inclusion, foster diversity, promote loyalty programs and, in general, care for the community. 

Visit the mpcproperties.rs website for more information about the comprehensive ESG strategy.

The post MPC Properties Contribution To Decarbonization And A Healthier Ecosystem appeared first on CorD Magazine.

Tea can be part of a healthy diet and people who drink tea may even be a little more likely to live longer than those who don’t, according to a large study.

Tea contains helpful substances known to reduce inflammation. Past studies in China and Japan, where green tea is popular, suggested health benefits. The new study extends the good news to the U.K.’s favorite drink: black tea.

Scientists from the U.S. National Cancer Institute asked about the tea habits of nearly a half million adults in the United Kingdom, then followed them for up to 14 years. They adjusted for risk factors such as health, socioeconomics, smoking, alcohol intake, diet, age, race and gender.

Higher tea intake — two or more cups daily — was linked to a modest benefit: a 9% to 13% lower risk of death from any cause vs. non-tea drinkers. Tea temperature, or adding milk or sugar, didn’t change the results.

The study, published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine, found the association held up for heart disease deaths, but there was no clear trend for cancer deaths. Researchers weren’t sure why, but it’s possible there weren’t enough cancer deaths for any effect to show up, said Maki Inoue-Choi, who led the study.

A study like this, based on observing people’s habits and health, can’t prove cause and effect.

“Observational studies like this always raise the question: Is there something else about tea drinkers that makes them healthier?” said Marion Nestle, a professor of food studies at New York University. “I like tea. It’s great to drink. But a cautious interpretation seems like a good idea.”

There’s not enough evidence to advise changing tea habits, said Inoue-Choi.

“If you drink one cup a day already, I think that is good,” she said. “And please enjoy your cup of tea.”

Source: hapnews.com

The post Tea Drinkers Enjoy Possible Health Benefits appeared first on CorD Magazine.

Switzerland has a dynamic, rapidly developing start-up landscape in the digital health sector. Of the current total of around 180 to 200 start-ups, the majority are active in the “data health” and “tech health” segments: they offer, for example, digital solutions for evaluating health data or digitally controllable medical technology products. More than half of the start-ups included in the survey are located in the Zurich area and have a maximum of five employees. These are the findings of a survey conducted by the ZHAW School of Management and Law and Health-Trends, a Swiss think tank for digital health. The study is based on this online survey of 42 Swiss start-ups.

FURTHER GROWTH EXPECTED

“We assume that the digital health sector and associated start-up scene will develop rapidly in the coming years. The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to accelerate this trend even more,” says Alfred Angerer, head of the Department of Management in Healthcare at the Winterthur Institute of Health Economics at the ZHAW School of Management and Law.

“The high proportion of start-ups in “tech health” and “data health” also illustrates how important high-tech skills are for innovations in the digital health environment. Many start-ups use forward-looking technologies like artificial intelligence, cloud computing and the Internet of Things.

Around three-quarters of the surveyed start-ups offer digital products and services in core medical areas, such as prevention, symptom recording, information search, diagnosis and therapy

WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES

Around three-quarters of the surveyed startups offer digital products and services in core medical areas, such as prevention, symptom recording, information search, diagnosis and therapy. These can be digital symptom testers or online information platforms, for example for searching for doctors and therapists. In terms of content, the solutions are often aimed at chronic illnesses like diabetes or cancer, or at psychological complaints.

The survey further shows that 80 per cent of the start-ups are active in the B2B sector and focus on hospitals, doctors, health insurance companies or pharmaceutical companies as customers. This is mainly due to the fact that the willingness of private customers to pay for digital health offers in Switzerland has been rather low to date. Around half of the start-ups already have a well-developed offer of products or services. Another quarter has at least one offer in the form of prototypes with market demand that’s currently being validated by the companies concerned. Almost 85 per cent of the surveyed start-ups have established cooperation agreements to develop their offer with academic partners.

The post Digital Health Growth appeared first on CorD Magazine.

Possession of the “WELL Health-Safety” certificate is a confirmation by an independent institution, which awards it to all new and existing buildings that, in their operational management policies, apply all the necessary standards of maintenance, involvement of relevant parties and implementation of contingency plans to ensure safe, healthy and secure environment for all users, which is especially important considering the current situation with the covid-19 pandemic.

The buildings that are part of the MPC Properties portfolio and which received this globally significant certificate are: UŠĆE Shopping Centre, BEO Shopping Centre, Mercator Centre Belgrade, Immo Outlet Centre, as well as the business centres UŠĆE Tower One and Tower Two and Navigator Business Centres 1 and 2.

„We are proud that we have the opportunity to bring the best world practices to this market and that we are the first company in Serbia that received the prestigious “WELL Health-Safety” certificate for its portfolio, which contributes to a healthier future for everyone. Our policy of business management puts the health and safety of users and visitors of our buildings on first place, because their satisfaction is the basis of our business. Therefore, it is extremely important to us that the quality of our buildings and the safety of staying in them, as well as the comfort they provide, are at the highest possible level. This certificate is only a confirmation of the vision to create a healthier environment for the community formed around our assets”, said CEO of MPC Properties Maxence Liagre.

„Thanks to companies like MPC Properties, which are, first and foremost, committed to ensuring a safe and healthy environment for their users, the popularization and growing importance of this certification worldwide is also being contributed to. This is a very significant and important achievement for a business system, and I would like to congratulate MPC for making a significant contribution to better buildings and the very environments in which they operate,” said Rachel Hodgdon, CEO of IWBI (the International WELL Building Institute).

Certificates are important because the quality of the asset is improved through the very process of their implementation, and optimal comfort of the space is achieved with an adequate selection of equipment and the correct mode of operation of the technical systems, which additionally contributes to reducing the consumption of electrical energy and water, reducing the harmful impact on the environment, reducing the emission of harmful gases, reducing waste and protecting watercourses, but also ensures a healthy environment for employees and users of facilities. All this contributes in a chain manner to the preservation of collective health, but also sets an example for professionals and the general public about the importance and benefits of applied green construction.

“As a Belgrader I am proud on having these projects in our city, showing leadership with implementation of this worldwide tendency on wellbeing within the buildings. I loved working on this project with MPC Properties team, and we are all fond of this project particular because of its care for the community and users of the buildings, needed more than ever before”, pointed Marija Golubović, ENERGO Partner, IWBI (International WELL Building institute) Research advisor.

The “WELL Health-Safety” certificate was created to empower and motivate owners of large and small companies to take all necessary steps to ensure the implementation of the highest health and safety standards and protocols for their buildings, users and all system participants. The importance of this certificate is also confirmed by the fact that it has been applied in facilities in more than 80 countries of the world, as well as that the subject itself has already involved over 16,000 people from 97 countries, who are dedicated and engaged in WELL certification and in ensuring the highest level of quality of stay in closed buildings.

The post MPC Properties Buildings Received The Most Prestigious “Well Health-Safety” Certificate appeared first on CorD Magazine.

The deal is proving that the online retailer Amazon is on a years-long march into the U.S. healthcare.

Amazon first stepped into healthcare for its own Seattle staff in 2019 before offering the services to other employers under the Amazon Care brand.

The e-commerce giant bought online pharmacy PillPack in 2018.

The post Amazon Enters U.S. Healthcare With $3.5 BLN Deal appeared first on CorD Magazine.

“People say that the body lies in the past, that our thoughts are in the future, but that we are in the present only when we do yoga,” Kohli said.

He called on people to join yoga classes at 17 locations in 16 towns across Serbia, marking the International Day of Yoga this year, with a message that “we give strength to each other”.

Kohli noted that yoga is an ancient Indian tradition that emerged 5000 years ago, and that it is very important for man’s heart and soul and can help people achieve a balance.

He said that yoga belongs to everyone, not only people in India, and this has been confirmed by the fact that the United Nations adopted a resolution and officially endorsed yoga.

It is expected that the events marking the Day of Yoga in Serbia would bring together more than 1000 yoga lovers.

This year, the Embassy of India organized the event with support from different Serbian organizations engaged in teaching yoga. The program included Vidya yoga, Mohanji Foundation and ISHA Foundation.

“Life is only an experience and if we want to have an experience, we must have a balance, and yoga is a balance for the society so that it never makes war, never backs blood,” said guru Mohanji from the foundation of the same name to more than 400 gathered citizens who practiced yoga at Kalemegdan.

“Yoga is universal and it is one of India’s gifts to people all over the world,” Mohanji said.

He highlighted yoga helps us find our way in all life situation and that it is much more than a lesson, as it improves the quality of life.

The Embassy of India thanked the City of Belgrade and security agencies for extending cooperation in organizing the event successfully.

The event was also supported by Agrounija, Coca-Cola Hellenic, Bechtel.

Millions of yoga practitioners and yoga enthusiasts have been celebrating 21 June as International Day of Yoga since 2015 as the United Nations adopted the resolution co-sponsored by 177 member states, including Serbia, in December 2014.

Source: Beta

The post International Day Of Yoga Marked At Kalemegdan appeared first on CorD Magazine.

His re-election was confirmed during the 75^th World Health Assembly in Geneva. He was the sole candidate.

“I am humbled by the opportunity provided by Member States to serve a second term as WHO Director-General,” said Dr Tedros. “This honour, though, comes with great responsibility and I am committed to working with all countries, my colleagues around the world, and our valued partners, to ensure WHO delivers on its mission to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.”

Today’s vote was the culmination of an election process that began in April 2021 when Member States were invited to submit proposals for candidates for the post of Director-General. The WHO Executive Board, meeting in January 2022, nominated Dr Tedros to stand for a second term.

Dr Tedros’s new mandate officially commences on 16 August 2022. A Director-General can be re-appointed once, in accordance with World Health Assembly rules and procedures.

During his first term, Dr Tedros instituted a wide-ranging Transformation of the WHO, aimed at increasing the Organization’s efficiency driving impact at country level to promote healthier lives, protect more people in emergencies and increase equitable access to health. He also guided WHO’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the health impacts of multiple other humanitarian crises.

Before first being appointed WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia from 2012–2016 and as Minister of Health, Ethiopia from 2005–2012. He had also served as chair of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; as chair of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership Board; and as co-chair of the Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

Foto: World Health Organization

The post World Health Assembly Re-Elects Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus To Second Term As WHO Director-General appeared first on CorD Magazine.

Preventive medicine delays or prevents the occurrence of diseases and affects the quality of health as a whole, and regenerative medicine develops therapies and treatment methods for regrowth and renewal ~ explains professor Batsialou, who brings love and care for others to all fields.

You are Greek, but you have also been a citizen of Belgrade for more than 30 years. What brought you to our capital?

I am from Greece and after 30 years of living and working in Serbia, I feel as Serbian as I am Greek. I studied at the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, where I also received my Ph.D., and I stayed because of the people and the mentality that is close to the Greek. I also stayed because of love – my husband, whom I met here and with whom I have a daughter. What’s more, I stayed because of the work I successfully started here as a pioneer of mesotherapy and anti-aging medicine more than 20 years ago, and because of the clients with whom I have built precious, friendly relationships.

We tried to gather all your specialisations, subspecialisations, titles, functions and jobs, but we did not succeed. What do you do for a living? You are a brand of your own …

In such a responsible profession as medicine, daily training is necessary, so learning and specialisations never stop. Medical achievements and new technologies have opened the way to modern methods of treatment, and in short I would say that I deal with the medicine of beautiful and healthy aging. I brought regenerative and anti-aging medicine to Serbia in order to prevent diseases and insist on elegant aging without serious disease, and aesthetic medicine – my area of subspecialisation – is there to support the face and body to give beauty and dignity to inevitable aging.

Despite the obligations of business, it is very important to transfer love and care for others to all areas of life and to give to those who need it the most. Several times a year, we organise humanitarian actions with the Association of Parents of Children with Cancer (NURDOR), distributing packages for more than 40 children for the holidays. I am a donor of the Women’s Safe House for victims of domestic violence, N.K.V. Katarina Karađorđević, the Zvečanska Centre for the Protection of Infants, Children and Youth, the Novak Đoković Foundation, the Tiršova Children’s University Clinic and the Church Folk Kitchen in Belgrade. I also initiated the action “One brick – a new temple” for the construction of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Vračar, which was built in 2018.

The importance and beauty of charity should be nurtured despite the chaos and lack of time

The importance and beauty of charity should be cared for despite the chaos and lack of time. I am of the opinion that whenever we give, we grow. This applies to all areas of my life and I try to give my love, dedication and knowledge to my family, colleagues and associates, patients … Giving does not only mean material things, and this is something we may have forgotten today.

There is no corporation behind you, no big investors. Does this allow you to build a unique approach to the patient?

It is much harder to build a successful business anywhere in the world as an independent entrepreneur, but that is exactly what allows me to transfer my beliefs and values to work. My colleagues from the faculty, with whom I have been building business and friendly relations for more than 20 years, work with me at the clinic, which gives us the opportunity to maintain a quality of service at the highest level, regardless of trends and external influences. Although there are beautiful but also difficult moments, patients never feel the difference and we manage to provide them with an individual approach and completely personalized therapies that are the only ones that give maximum results.

Your IOANNA REGEN Clinic provides a holistic approach in the field of regenerative, aesthetic and anti-aging non-operative medicine for health and perfect appearance. Are you unique in this in the region?

The ongoing pandemic has once again reminded us that health is a marathon in life, not a 100m sprint. Regenerative and preventive medicine are the basis of good health, and aesthetic and anti-aging medicine are a support for beautiful and healthy aging. Preventive medicine, in the form of genetic analysis done once in a lifetime, give us an insight into the initial status of the organism, its preferences and predispositions – tells us which drugs are most effective for therapy, which diseases we are susceptible to, what foods to avoid and how our skin ages. Preventive medicine is the basis of beautiful, “good and healthy” aging. In order to avoid serious diseases, expensive therapies and medicines, the goal is in preventive and systematic examinations, in introducing gradual changes in lifestyle and educating patients and the general public about what it means to live healthily and age beautifully.

Regenerative and preventive medicine are the basis of good health, and aesthetic and anti-aging medicine are a support for beautiful and healthy aging

In addition to unique and comprehensive procedures and the best apparatus and equipment, you also have top experts from Serbia and abroad. Who makes up your team?

The goal of the IOANNA REGEN Clinic is to engage the most eminent experts from Serbia, the region, but also world-renowned doctors in order to offer comprehensive facial and body therapies, because only a healthy person is a beautiful one. If there are endocrinological or cardiac problems, it will affect the skin of the face and body, the way of aging, and therefore we must always consider the overall health of the patient. We are very proud of our team of specialist doctors, they are extraordinary experts but also people who have dedicated their entire lives to caring for patients. The core of our professional team consists of professor Dr Dragan Dinčić, General and Deputy Chief of the Military Medical Academy in Cardiology, Dr Goran Cvijović, endocrinology specialist, professor Dr Dušan Škiljević, specialist in dermatovenerology, Dr Vladimir Arsenijević, specialist in general surgery and soft surgery, professor Dr Jagoda Jorga, diet therapist and nutritionist, professor Dr Branislav Trifunović, pediatric and plastic surgeon, and Ivana Buzadzić, geneticist. Our team is what sets us apart and allows us to approach each patient in a multidisciplinary manner.

Our region is known for the fact that people want to be beautiful and cared for, to keep themselves well. Are Serbs and Greeks similar in that?

I believe that every region, every nation wants to be beautiful and well cared for – the issue of aesthetics is a broader one whose overall context must be considered. It is also a question of modern trends, the entire culture and tradition, and what Serbs and Greeks are similar in is exactly that. Our mentality is close, a disposition and love of the beauty of living.

The post Health Is The Marathon Of Life appeared first on CorD Magazine.

After the first 10 years, we can proudly say that we are educating really high-quality health staff. We are flexible, we have attractive and current content in the curriculum and we manage to respond to rapid changes in society. Our knowledge has no expiry date ~ says professor Jovanović Lješković.

How do you position yourself as an educational institution for the 21st century. What is the formula for your success?

The pandemic has reminded us how important it is to have high quality health personnel. We feel a great responsibility for our students who need to be ready for the 21st century healthcare system. Good quality education is crucial for good staff, so educational institutions must be flexible, respond to rapid changes in society and offer attractive and current content in their curriculum. It is extremely important today that faculties have good leadership with a clear vision and mission. In that sense, our faculty continuously invests in teaching staff, equipment, digitalisation and, most importantly, in the selection of current curricula and practice.

What are the key benefits of the curriculum you offer? Can you explain that with the example of the pharmacy study programme?

In addition to basic professional subjects, students also have the subjects Rare Diseases, Biological Drugs and Immunotherapy, Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine, Oncology Pharmacy, Drug Addiction and Abuse, Pharmacoeconomics, Marketing, Professional Development, the Digital Pharmacy, and so on. I think that we are not only the first in the region but also among the first in Europe to introduce the subject of the Digital Pharmacy because it is important for our students to know what is happening in the field of digitalisation, telepharmacy and the application of artificial intelligence in medicine and pharmacy.

Serbia is intensively positioning itself on the map of countries that include biomedicine, biotechnology and digitalisation of health on their agenda

We bring students closer to all the different worlds of pharmacy already in the early years of our courses, through early exposure to various career opportunities and the introduction of courses aimed at professional development. The curriculum itself is designed so that students choose and create their own path through it. Compulsory subjects are followed by narrow professional and elective courses that open the door to specific areas of pharmacy.

Each of our subjects is like a building element, like a brick, say. And the final product of our five-year curriculum will be a typical house, known as the 21st century pharmacist. Inside the house, the obligatory subjects will form the foundations and load-bearing walls, while with their personal choice of professional and elective subjects, each student will create and decorate their own pharmaceutical interior.

Enrolment time approaching? How to choose an occupation for the 21st century?

You need to think of your own interests and motivation and keep in mind that science is making incredible advances. Just look at what is being done in the fields of pharmacy, medicine, molecular biology, genetics, today we are all talking about mRNA, gene therapy, immunotherapy, biological drugs, personalized medicine, the use of artificial intelligence in diagnosis, prediction, disease prevention or choice of therapy. The possibilities in the area we call “Life Sciences” are amazing. We are pleased that Serbia has lately been intensively positioning itself on the map of countries that include biomedicine, biotechnology and the digitalisation of health on their agenda, and this is the chance for young people.

The post Ten Years Of Education For A Healthy Society appeared first on CorD Magazine.

The Serbian superstar, who became a focus of the global vaccine debate over his failed attempt to enter Australia without being inoculated, holds a majority stake in a Danish biotech firm aiming to develop a treatment to counter COVID-19, the company’s CEO told Reuters.

QuantBioRes boss Ivan Loncarevic, who described himself as an entrepreneur, said the tennis player’s acquisition of the 80% stake was made in June 2020 but declined to say how much it was.

The company is developing a peptide, which inhibits the coronavirus from infecting the human cell, expects to launch clinical trials in Britain this summer, according to Loncarevic, who stressed the firm was working on a treatment, not a vaccine.

The CEO said the company had about a dozen researchers working in Denmark, Australia and Slovenia. According to the Danish company register, Djokovic and his wife Jelena own 40.8% and 39.2% of the company, respectively.

A spokesperson for Djokovic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Djokovic has enjoyed phenomenal success – Forbes listed him in the world’s top-50 highest paid athletes for 2021. It calculated his on-court earnings at $4.5 million, dwarfed by the $30 million it said he earned off court.

Yet time may not be on the world number one’s side in his quest to be viewed as the greatest player is history, as he advances deeper into his 30s.

He had desperately hoped to play in Australian Open this month with his sights firmly set on netting a 21st grand slam title, which would move him above archrivals Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.

Frustrated Djokovic now risks being frozen out of tennis, with rules on travellers who are unvaccinated tightening in the third year of the pandemic and some tournaments reconsidering exemptions.

The most immediate concern is the next grand slam – the French Open in May where Nadal has already amassed a staggering 13 titles – after the country’s sports ministry said on Monday there would be no exemption from a new vaccine pass law.

Source: reuters.com, Photo: Christopher Pike

The post Djokovic Bets On A COVID Cure As He Quests For Tennis History appeared first on CorD Magazine.