ST.PETERSBURG. March 30 (Interfax-AVN) - Special courses on medical aid provision in extreme conditions have been added to the curriculum of the St. Petersburg-based Military Medical Academy, chief of the academy Lieutenant General Boris Gaidar said on Tuesday.
"The courses sum up the experience gained by the academy's teachers while working to cope with consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster and the earthquake in Armenia, as well as while accomplishing missions during the humanitarian operation in Yugoslavia and in Chechnya," Gaidar told Interfax- Military News Agency.
The personnel of the academy's departments and clinics constantly go on service trips to the North Caucasus, he said. They are also dispatched to other trouble spots, when necessary.
According to him, ten graduates of the academy have been killed in various trouble spots since Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan in 1989. A memorial plane in their honor was opened at the academy's main building on Monday.
"Military doctors die just like soldiers when they save fellow servicemen or provide aid to the wounded. The memory of deceased graduates should guide the current cadets and the entire academy personnel," Gaidar said.