MOSCOW. April 7 (Interfax) - Russian military medics have started receiving patients with suspected coronavirus in Serbia, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement seen by Interfax on Tuesday.
"After disinfecting the Dragisa Misovic Medical Clinical Center in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, two teams of Russian military medics started receiving patients with the suspected [coronavirus] diagnosis," the statement said.
Meanwhile, five teams were sent to five Serbian cities for assessing the epidemiological situation, and one medical team is on standby. It will respond to possible sudden changes in the epidemiological situation and will monitor health of the Russian military, the statement said.
"Five medical teams have been posted to Cuprija, Novi Pazar, Cacak, Leskovac and Kragujevac to assess the epidemiological situation. They are advising Serbian colleagues on ways of taking quarantine and disinfection measures and are sharing practices of treatment of highly contagious diseases. One medical team is on standby; it is tasked with responding to sudden changes in the epidemiological situation and with daily monitoring health of the Russian military," the statement said.
While working at the Dragisa Misovic Center, "the Russian medics started with studying the organization of the medical care process, diagnostic equipment, and specifics of the work of their Serbian colleagues," the statement said. "The military specialists are carrying out comprehensive diagnostics of patients, are studying their medical history, and are elaborating and offering treatment methods based on international medical assistance standards," it said.
For their part, radiation, chemical and biological protection teams have used their special hardware to sanitize the Belgrade Infectious Disease Hospital and the Zemun Clinical Center, "which are the primary facilities fighting coronavirus in the country," the statement said.
"Most patients suspected of having Covid-19 are taken there for preliminary diagnostic purposes; once that is done, the patients are assigned to other medical institutions depending on the complexity of their cases. Another team of specialists has disinfected the city hospital in Valjevo, which is another leader in terms of the sickness rates in Serbia. More than 45,000 square meters of premises and 20,000 square meters of the hospital yard were disinfected during the day," the statement said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on April 4 that 11 flights had arrived in Serbia from Russia to deliver military epidemiologists and their equipment. The planes airlifted 87 servicemen, including military medics and virologists of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces, special medical equipment, personal protective means, and 16 pieces of military hardware.