Česky
Mr. Chief Medical Officer, you have been working at the hospital in Hořovice for over ten years. Could you describe the most important changes that have taken place in the hospital during that time?
During this period, the hospital has undergone and is still undergoing a number of significant changes. If I can speak for the A&E department, we have built a department that provides modern and high-quality anaesthetic and resuscitation care within the available facilities of other medical disciplines; our medical and instrumentation equipment is fully comparable to large hospitals; we are equipped with ultrasound machines, renal function replacement devices, modern ventilators and the latest monitoring technology, for example. We are also not lagging behind in the field of anaesthesiology, e.g. we have significantly expanded the area of regional anaesthesia to include a wide range of peripheral nerve blocks. Across the hospital, the spectrum and volume of surgical and orthopaedic surgery has increased, there have been extensive renovations throughout the campus, and the overall quality of care for our patients has improved.
The department you head has recently undergone extensive renovations. How satisfied are you with the new look of the ARO?
From my point of view, the refurbishment has been a success. In addition to the technical upgrading of the entire department, we have managed to make some important structural changes that allow us to make better use of the existing space.
The ARO uses instruments that are constantly being modernised to do its work. The hospital spends considerable financial resources to acquire them. What does your department have in terms of technical equipment compared to other hospitals?
Our department is equipped with the most modern medical technology that we need for our work. I don't want to compare or compete, but we now have a completely new state-of-the-art monitoring system, which was the first in the country to be installed in our department. We promise to make it easier to care for our patients, both during their stay at the bedside and during transports to operating theatres and various examinations.
The operation of such complex technical equipment combined with the care of the most complicated patients must be particularly stressful for the staff. How do your medical staff cope with the stress associated with performing such demanding work?
Working in our field is demanding and stressful, and certainly not everyone can do it for long periods of time. My team of doctors and nurses is a team of professionals who are used to this type of stress and are able to cope with it, each in their own way. Many of us have a variety of hobbies and interests, which helps us to relax and unwind.
Are young doctors and new nurses interested in working in such a specific department?
Every year we receive new applicants for work in our field, and our team is expanding almost regularly with young doctors and nurses in line with the increased staffing requirements with the rapid development of the hospital. Unfortunately, we are also still facing a long-underestimated and unresolved problem of the Czech healthcare system as a whole. Many very capable students from the ranks of middle medical staff and doctors do not apply for jobs in the CR at all - they go straight abroad, where they are much better rewarded for their work.
How do you and your colleagues cope with stressful situations, e.g. receiving patients in critical condition?
Professionalism plays a big role here. In such situations there is no time for emotions, it is necessary to keep a cool head, be a cohesive team and make quick decisions. The longer you have been in this field, the less you are aware of the level of stress at such moments, but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect you. Rest and relaxation in our free time is all the more important in our work.
In your opinion, what has contributed to anaesthesia moving forward recently?
From my point of view, anaesthesiology as such has evolved mainly in the field of regional blockades and pharmacology. However, we also have new modern technology, better anaesthesia machines, the possibility of monitoring the depth of general anaesthesia and, above all, the possibility of using ultrasound, which contributes significantly to improving the quality and safety of anaesthetic care. Nevertheless, the basis for success remains the quality of the anaesthesia team and its cooperation with other members of the perioperative team.
Most of your colleagues in the hospital, but also many lay people know you not only as a doctor, but also as a passionate photographer, especially the creator of very successful nudes. What led you to this hobby and where do you "hunt" for model(s)?
Photography has been my hobby since childhood, when I used to carry a camera with me on almost every walk. My admiration for the beauty of the female body, which I try to portray in a poetic rather than erotic way, led me to nude photography. However, I have never sought out models on the internet, I find it impersonal and it doesn't suit my approach to photography. I choose models in my immediate vicinity, I have photographed my partners, my wife, some of my friends.
How do you relax? Do you have any other hobbies?
In my spare time I like to listen and compose music, play the piano and guitar, I am a lover of art and history, especially medieval history. I've also been an aviation buff since childhood, and it's my most time-consuming hobby, which has recently become my second job. In Prague 6 I built and operate a flight simulator of an Airbus A320 transport aircraft. I am partly fulfilling my childhood dream. Besides medicine, I always wanted to be a transport pilot.
