Niš, June 24

We have been celebrating for years our National Day, St. John the Baptist, at the National Theater in Belgrade by organizing an event of cultural diplomacy. On that occasion, prominent artists from abroad would enter the Opera stage with the performance of one of the famous Italian operas. This year, due to Covid-19 pandemic, we have not been able to continue our tradition. So we tried to find the way – coherent with our mission – to celebrate the almost one thousand years of the history of our Order.

Perceiving the importance and the need for respirators for the treatment of patients with Coronavirus, the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Belgrade has searched and found twenty hospital ventilators (mobile respirators) abroad and decided to donate them to the Clinical Center of Niš.

These respiratory masks are very useful in emergency situations (principally during the Covid-19 pandemic) and can save lives especially to people living in faraway villages, facilitating their transport to the hospital.

On the occasion of our National Day, twenty respirators arrived in Serbia from Italy after many bureaucratic difficulties and were delivered to the Director of the Cardiovascular Clinic at the Clinical Center of Niš. H.E. the Catholic Archbishop of Belgrade, Msgr. Stanislav Hocevar, the Vice Mayor of Niš Nebojsa Randjelovic, numerous representatives of the State and local media were present at the handover ceremony.

During the short ceremony, H.E. the Archbishop Stanislav Hocevar pointed out with emotional words the value of solidarity and did not fail to underline the importance of the humanitarian projects of the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Serbia.

The Director of the Clinic, Prof. Dr. Dragan Milic extended his warmest thanks for the donation and wished a Happy Feast of St. John the Baptist, Patron of the Order of Malta.