Surnames

Two weeks ago, an older patient, considerably bruised from a fall which luckily did not have serious consequences, contacted the Belgrade Military Medical Academy (VMA) emergency service. The emergency physician on duty intervened. Then the radiologist showed up, followed by the chest surgeon. In the end, even though everything was in order, they decided to put the patient in the orthopedic wing, "just in case". One could say that this is more than professional and careful treatment. However, only until the next morning, when the patient's relatives, who had come to bring him his toiletries, were told that they were free to take him home. The reason: during the night it was established that the bruised patient's name was identical to another - an army general's. Therefore, extra medical attention was not necessary. A few years ago, the same man - during a heart operation - created an uproar in the General Staff of the Yugoslav Peoples' Army (JNA). Some of the most important people got angry because no one had informed them that He was being operated upon. Perhaps the VMA has some reasons for its "traditional" concern about well-known names of the active and pensioned officers' corps. However, it seems that there are stronger reasons for a person to "break out in a cold sweat" when their name is not identical to that of any general worthy of "special" medical attention.