Česky
Did you always want to be a doctor?
No, I didn't. I actually got into medicine by accident. Nobody in my family is a doctor, they all have a technical background. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a garbage man, I wanted to be the guy who jumped on the truck and picked up the garbage cans.
What led you to orthopedics in the first place?
I originally wanted to do pediatric cardiac surgery. But since I found the field too out of reach for the average person at the time, I decided to go into orthopedics and traumatology, which I also found interesting. I was also quite possibly still inspired by the TV series Hospital on the Edge of Town.
What were your beginnings?
I started in the paediatric orthopaedics clinic in Bratislava. We focused on congenital defects in young children and I consider it a great start because I learned how to work with children and later I was not afraid to operate on them. Honestly, the start that a doctor would first start practicing adult medicine and then switch to paediatric medicine seems completely unrealistic to me. The experience of being able to do pediatric medicine for four years is priceless. It gave me a lot of experience. After all, it was a completely different type of surgery than with adult patients.
Do you see a big difference between medicine in your early days and now?
I think starting medicine in those years when I started was much easier than it is today. Back then we didn't know about patient complaints, there were no lawsuits, and documentation was very simple. We practically wrote everything by hand. Whereas today the situation is more difficult. From my point of view, it is so difficult that I do not envy young doctors starting out the demands they have to face today.
You're originally from Slovakia. What brought you to the Czech Republic?
I was impressed by the quality of Czech medicine. After I left, I started doing adult orthopaedics in Kladno. Then I got an offer to join the Regional Hospital in Benešov near Prague, where I learned surgical procedures in traumatology. After six and a half years I got an offer, then still from a small hospital in Hořovice, where I have been working for 13 years.
Is there anything that fascinates you about this job?
Progress in endoprosthetics, which is my dominant interest. I came to it in my first years, when it was almost a heroic feat. It was only done in certain clinical sites, it took many hours, there was a lot of blood loss and the outcome was almost uncertain. Today, the procedure is so standardised that it can be performed in any solid district centre. The duration of the operation is an order of magnitude less, there are very few complications and the results are very encouraging.
How many operations have you had? Is there one that has particularly stuck in your mind?
Recently I have been doing about 500 operations a year. In terms of joint replacement surgeries, my number will definitely exceed 4,000 surgeries. Within the field of traumatology and minor surgeries, it will be disproportionately less, something around 1500. I have a very good memory and this is something that my colleagues know about me. Honestly, though, I tend to remember the procedures that went wrong. I remember the names of the patients, the sides and segments that I operated on and then the procedures where there was a major complication and I was glad that we had finished the fight in the operating room. But complications are part of medicine.
What are the responsibilities of being the head of the department?
In our hospital, there are not so many administrative duties that come with being chief. At the moment I have 11 doctors under me, with whom we try to divide parts of the administrative spectrum.
What does your working day look like?
My working day is always exactly the same. I get up early in the morning, have breakfast and half an hour later I'm at work. Then debriefing, rounds, and by 7:30 I'm in the operating room. We finish at three o'clock in the afternoon. Mondays and Thursdays I am on duty in the outpatient clinic, the other days of the week I operate. Sometimes I also have services in the trauma outpatient clinic.
You're known to encourage movement. But what sport do you enjoy most?
I don't consider myself an active athlete, but I like movement as such. Sport is a great complement to any mental endeavour and any sport or physical activity that improves a person's physical fitness or allows them to spend time playing collectively and making friends is good for me. Personally, I enjoy hiking, fitness running, cycling as part of my travels, and I enjoy playing any team sport.
How else do you spend your free time when you're not traveling?
I like to read books a lot and very much. I read almost everything I can get my hands on. I especially like novels and novellas. I try to exchange tips on what's good with my friends who read, so I don't waste my time with some rubbish. I also collect knives and information about their manufacture. I think everyone should carry a pocket knife when they need to open something, for example. In the course of my research, I found out that knives are different and that they are used in different ways. Gradually my taste has shifted from some knives to others and I now see them as art objects.
