History

The Department of Orthopaedics was established at Martin Hospital in May 1946. It was situated in Pavilion No. 3 and featured 25 beds, an outpatient clinic, and a plaster room. However, it lacked its own operating rooms, and surgery was conducted once a week in the surgical department. In 1950, the number of beds was increased to 48. Most patients were treated for bone and joint infections, while in children, the primary concerns included the consequences of congenital hip dislocation along with infections.

The Traumatology Department was established in 1954, with 12 beds allocated from the Orthopaedic Department. Its first head physician was Artúr Fried. From 1967 to 1970, the department was led by Dr. Jaroslav Váňa, who had come from the First Surgical Department, where he specialised mainly in vascular surgery. Dr. Jozef Kubínyi served as head physician of the Traumatology Department from 1970 to 1989. In 1989, Dr. Peter Gémeš became the deputy head of the Orthopaedic and Traumatology Department for Traumatology.

In 1946, Dr. František Fabián (1946-1952) became the head of the orthopaedic department, succeeding Dr. Ján Gáll (1952-1986), an assistant from the Orthopaedic Department in Košice.

On 1 October 1967, the Faculty Hospital was established, and Dr. Andrej Kukura (1967-1978) was appointed head of the Second Surgical Department for Orthopaedic Traumatology. The department's reconstruction was completed in 1977, featuring two operating rooms and an increase in the number of beds to 90 (52 for orthopaedics, 38 for traumatology).

The separate Orthopaedic-Traumatology Department was established in 1978. Its first head was Dr. Eduard Kalman, CSc. (1978-1989), who came from the First Orthopaedic Department in Bratislava. His professional focus was paediatric orthopaedics. He emphasised the comprehensive development of orthopaedics and traumatology related to the musculoskeletal system, including prevention, monitoring, early diagnosis, and treatment of paediatric orthopaedic diseases (especially L.C.C. syndrome). He also concentrated on the early diagnosis and differential diagnosis of bone tumours in close collaboration with pathologists. He developed conservative functional treatment for spinal and limb fractures. He authored the textbook "Traumatology of Limbs and Spine" and trained three candidates for scientific degrees.

In 1986, Dr. Ivan Hromec (1986-2000) became the deputy head of the Orthopaedics department. From 1989 to 1990 and from 1992 to 1994, he alternated as the head of the Orthopaedic-Traumatology Department. From 1990 to 1992, Dr. Ivan Horský, CSc., from the First Orthopaedic Department in Bratislava, served as the head of the department.

From March 1994, Dr. Jozef Masár, CSc. (1994-2007), became the head of the Orthopaedic and Traumatology Department. In 1998, he was habilitated as an associate professor of orthopaedics. In 2003, Dr. Libor Nečas was appointed as the deputy head of the Orthopaedic-Traumatology Department for orthopaedics. At the end of 2007, Dr. Jozef Drímal, CSc., was appointed and subsequently confirmed as the head of the Orthopaedic-Traumatology

Department. From 2012 to 2023, Dr. Libor Nečas, PhD, served as the head of the Orthopaedic Department. Since 2018, Dr. Zoltán Cibula, PhD, has held the position of deputy head of the Orthopaedic Department. In December 2023, Dr. Zoltán Cibula, PhD, was appointed head of the Orthopaedic Department. Since 2023, Dr. Marián Melišík, PhD, has served as the deputy head of the Orthopaedic Department, while Dr. Maroš Hrubina, PhD, has taken on the role of deputy for educational and scientific research activities.