History
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PEDIATRIC DEPARTMENT
The Pediatric Department of the Regional Hospital in Martin was established in 1943 (the head physician, MUDr. L. Murtin, who tragically perished during the hospital bombing on December 21, 1944. Initially, the department operated from the basement of Pavilion 5. In 1945, MUDr. Vladimír Galanda, an assistant professor at the Pediatric Clinic of the Slovak University in Bratislava, became the head physician. The department was moved to Pavilion 7, later to Pavilion 2, and since 1947 has been located in a dedicated building on the 4th and 5th floors of Pavilion 8, with the outpatient and maternity ward in Pavilion 8/1. Originally, the department had 64 beds for children and 15 for mothers, later expanding to 120 pediatric beds. In 1981, the construction of a building for the pediatric intensive care unit, the infant ward, and a clinic supplement (Pavilion 14) began. It was completed and handed over in 1991. Currently, the inpatient section of the Clinic of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine is located on the 4th and 5th floors of Pavilion 8 and in Pavilion 14. Specialized outpatient clinics are situated on the 1st and 5th floors of Pavilion 8 and in Pavilion 14.
BEGINNINGS OF TEACHING
Pediatrics education at the Martin branch of the Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, began in the academic year 1962/1963. Lectures were provided by Prof. MUDr. Irena Jakubcová, CSc., head of the 1st Pediatric Clinic in Bratislava, as well as by assistant professor MUDr. Joze, who joined the department after a competitive selection process from the Pediatric Department in Žilina. From the academic year 1963/1964, the following joined as full-time staff members in sequence: assistant professor MUDr. Ján Buchanec (from the Pediatric Department in Martin), assistant professor MUDr. Alexander Jurko (from the Pediatric Cardiology Treatment Institute in Sliač), and assistant professor MUDr. Štefan Sršeň, CSc. (from the Pediatric Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine, UPJŠ in Košice). The head of the Department of Internal Medicine was Assoc. Prof. MUDr. Vladimír Galanda, CSc., with assistant MUDr. Ján Buchanec as the department secretary. The department included pediatric, internal medicine, infectious diseases, neurology, and dermatology clinics. Later, these departments became independent and established their own clinics.
LEADERSHIP
The head of the Pediatric Clinic and the Department of Pediatrics from their inception was Assoc. Prof. MUDr. Vladimír Galanda, CSc. (from 1974, Prof.), who served as the head of the clinic until 1983 and the head of the Department of Pediatrics until 1982. From 1982 to 1986, the head of the Department of Pediatrics was Prof. MUDr. Štefan Sršeň, DrSc., followed by Prof. MUDr. Ján Buchanec, DrSc., from 1986 to 2001, after whom Prof. MUDr. Peter Bánovčin, CSc., took over the position. Since September 2024, prof. Milos Jesenak, MD., MSc., PhD., MBA, Dott.Ric., MHA, FAAAAI has been appointed as the head of department. The deputy heads of the Clinic of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine were MUDr. A. Slameňová (1966–1986), MUDr. M. Miklerová (1986–1993), MUDr. E. Hyrdelová (1993– 2017) and MUDr. Peter Ďurdík, PhD. (2017 - present).
CONFERENCES AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Since 1967, the Pediatric Clinic has annually organized a nationwide scientific conference every November, and since 1990, an international scientific conference focused on diagnostic and therapeutic updates, along with regular working conferences on pediatric cardiology and other pediatric specialties.
The Pediatric Clinic has always maintained strong international relations. In the 1970s, collaboration was established with the pediatric clinics in Halle and Rostock (Prof. MUDr. J. Buchanec, DrSc.). In 1973–1974, Prof. MUDr. A. Jurko, DrSc., undertook a long-term study stay in Havana, where he worked closely with the staff of the Cardiac Surgery Institute, leading to joint lectures and publications. Later, in 1991, Prof. MUDr. A. Jurko, DrSc., became a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology, in 1992 a Fellow of the International Society of Angiology, and in 1992 a Fellow of the International Society of Pathophysiology.
At the end of the 1970s, Prof. MUDr. Š. Sršeň, DrSc., participated in a long-term study stay in the USA, where he established collaborations with top institutions focusing on clinical genetics research. Prof. MUDr. M. Zibolen, CSc., completed a study stay in 1990–1992 at the Neonatal Department of the University Hospital in Zurich to acquire expertise in neonatal care. Prof. MUDr. P. Bánovčin, CSc., after receiving a Humboldt Fellowship, worked at the Pediatric Clinic of M.H.H. in Hannover from 1992 to 1994. This resulted in several publications in indexed journals and the development of a new method for measuring respiratory functions in infants. He also delivered invited lectures at the British MRC in Gambia (1994) and in Poland (1996). Assoc. Prof. MUDr. Milan Minárik, PhD., completed a three-year stay from 1993 to 1997 at the Pediatric Department of Henry Ford Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, USA. Assoc. Prof. MUDr. Alexander Jurko, Jr., PhD., undertook a short-term study stay in the USA and the Netherlands. Among healthcare professionals, MUDr. I. Marček, CSc., worked abroad for an extended period, while MUDr. Ivan Hvizdák and MUDr. M. Fedor completed study stays. Prof. MUDr. Š. Sršeň, DrSc., and Assoc. Prof. MUDr. K. Sršňová, CSc., made significant contributions to international research, particularly in the field of alkaptonuria, and are recognized internationally for their expertise.