Dr. Georgi Stranski University Hospital Explained

Dr. Georgi Stranski University Hospital
Coordinates:43.4161°N 24.6278°W
Location:Pleven
Region:Pleven Province
Country:Bulgaria
Healthcare:National Health Insurance Fund
Funding:public
Type:General, teaching hospital
Founded:1865

Dr. Georgi Stranski University Hospital is a major hospital located in Pleven, Bulgaria. It is one of the oldest in the country, as well as the largest in northern Bulgaria.[1]

History

The hospital was established in 1865, before the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule, as a waqf treatment center under the personal orders of Midhat Pasa.[2] Its first location was on the grounds of the local imaret, and its staff at the time consisted only of a foreign military doctor and two servants. He died in 1869, and was replaced by Dr. Robert Geiser, a Swiss national who was in charge of the hospital until 1877.[2]

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, numerous Russian surgeons were active in the area during the Siege of Plevna. Nikolay Pirogov was among them, and Bulgarian physician Georgi Stranski, a close friend of revolutionary Hristo Botev, was also present. Shortly after the war—in 1879—Stranski became the hospital's first manager, albeit only for a year. The hospital was enlarged and moved to its current location in 1896.[2]

Activities

Its departments provide care in gynecology, a full range of internal medicine treatment, surgery, orthopedics, urology, otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology, neurology, pediatrics, dermatology, infectious diseases and psychiatry.[1] The hospital also provides all major diagnostic procedures, emergency care and rehabilitation. Its staff consists of 430 MDs, including students and seasoned specialists, and 860 assorted specialist staff.[1]

Robotics

The hospital is known for its robot-assisted surgery using the Da Vinci Surgical System. It is one of only three hospitals in Bulgaria operating the system, the first one to implement it in the country,[3] and the only one with two Da Vinci systems.[4] The robots are used for gynecological, urological and gastrointestinal surgery. Four surgical teams perform up to two robotic surgeries daily.[3]

There is also a social robot that helps patients communicate with doctors when the latter are not physically present using online conference calls.[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Main activities. Pleven University Hospital. 17 July 2018.
  2. Web site: History. Pleven University Hospital. 17 July 2018.
  3. Web site: Medical University in Pleven Implements 2-nd Da Vinci Robot. Novinite. 29 April 2014. 18 July 2018.
  4. Web site: Hospitals argue how Da Vinci robots should be used. Kapital Daily. 1 February 2018. 18 July 2018.
  5. Web site: Da Vinci robot performs surgery on patients in Pleven. Vesti. 6 May 2016. 18 July 2018.