Formation and organization of military medical service at the eastern Slavonia front in the 1991/92 war in Croatia

Analiziran je rad zdravstvene djelatnosti HV Zbornog područja Osijek, u periodu od 01. 07. 1991. do 01. 09. 1993. godine. Kao i cijela HV, vojno zdravstvo osnovano je tijekom rata, jer u okviru tadašnje Jugoslavije Hrvatska nije mogla imati vlastitu vojsku, dakle ni sanitetsko osiguranje. U početku je, stoga, taj posao preuzelo civilno zdravstvo. Isto je obavljano putem mobilnih kirurških ekipa, odnosno oponašanjem rada civilne službe hitne pomoći. Postojao je čitav niz objektivnih poteškoća, kao što su nedostatak opreme, školovanog vojnosanitetskog kadra i iskustva u organiziranju i funkcioniranju isključivo vojnog saniteta. Uz 75 poginulih, ranjenih i nestalih pripadnika zdravstva HV Zbornog područja Osijek, te uz 43 uništena i 20 oštećenih sanitetskih motornih vozila, registrirano je i zbrinuto 145.410 bolesnih stanja u pripadnika HV Zbornog područja Osijek, pri čemu su povrede i njihove posljedice činile 14,6% (21.767 slučajeva). U tijeku je prelazak u mirnodopski ustroj koji, za sada, ima prijelazni karakter ovisan o ekonomskoj snazi Republike Hrvatske.The work of the Croatian Army medical service of the Osijek Military District between July 1, 1991 and September 1, 1993 was analized. In the former Yugoslavia, Croatia was not allowed to have its own army. Therefore, the national armed force and medical corps had to be formed during the war against Croatia. Medical support to army units was initially provided by civil medical service, i.e. by mobile surgical teams performing their tasks on the model of civilian ambulatory service. Numerous objective obstacles, such as the lack of equipment, qualified military medical professionals and experience in the organization and function of army medical corps were encountered. Seventy-five of the Osijek Military District medical service were killed, wounded or missing. There were 145,410 recorded and treated cases of various diseases, 21,767 (14,6%) of which were war wounds. Forty-three medical vehicles were demolished and 20 damaged. At present, transformation of Croatian Army (CA) to peacetime organization is under way