THE SPEECH ON THE OCCASION OF THE CEREMONY OF AWARDING THE HONORARY DOCTORATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO

Honored Rector of the University Prof Čaklovica

Honored Dean Prof. Mehić

Honored Prof Gavrankapetanović

Honorable members,

Excellency

Distinguished guests, friends

Ladies and gentlemen

It is distinct honor and pleasure for me to receive this degree and become formally associated with the Great University of Sarajevo.

The honor is not mine alone, my humble contribution in the filed of establishing a center for Cardiac Surgery in Sarajevo is just one side of the coin.

The Honor belongs first to the team of the Clinical Center to the nurses, perfusionists and to all the doctors and my sincerest thanks go to the ministry of health and to the University and its officials for the generous support of this project.

When I look back every project starts with first step. The Pilgrim fathers of this idea of establishing a Heart Center in Sarajevo did not come from Berlin they came from Sarajevo.

When I met Prof. Gavrankapetanovic in February 2002 he came to our institution with this idea in his mind and our institution, especially, Prof Hetzer who is very familiar with a number of

cooperation projects in China and Russia supported it and signed the contract.

At the beginning there was the idea and then the team of Sarajevo and also the team of Berlin started to live this idea.

Within the next years we started every month ten exciting and exhausting days of cardiac surgery in Sarajevo and at the end of our clinical work we looked into the eyes of very satisfied patients.

This was the beginning of the story of success of the cardiac centre of Sarajevo.

At the end I want to thank my team from Berlin I would not be here without their support, a big thank you to them.

As the members of the team came together they became friends and at the end as we are here we are all members of the cardiac family and in some ways we behave like a family – with the occasional struggle behind the curtains - but we respect each other and we can rely upon each other.

Everybody of our team was impressed by the warmhearted people of Sarajevo and we learned a lot of from them and brought this experience back to our institution.

May I also take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Prof. Gavrankapetanovic for the dedicated efforts he has made over the years of the cooperation between Berlin and Sarajevo. Often I brought him into great trouble with my ideas but he was always open to them, nevertheless.

I also want to thank the former ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Berlin Mr. Despotović for his big support in this project.

Another highlight in this project was the election of Docent Dr.Kacila as the chair of cardiac surgery. Dr. Kacila started his medical career in Sarajevo, went to Italy and then came to our Heart Institute in Berlin.

At the end we all could be proud of his work and his team and I

would like to dedicate part of this honorary doctor degree to him and his team.

The continuous work in the Heart Center is the keystone of success that means if anyone has a cardiac problem in Sarajevo he has the opportunity to be treated on an international standard.

Therefore also thanks to the team in the name of patients.

Looking forward we are still faced with a long waiting list of patients but there is a solution on the horizon: the reconstruction of the new operating theatres will be started within the next months, also thanks to the planning committee.

Our medical world is being transformed at high speed and this is the world we are entering.

Life in the 21st century is going to be all about continuous learning relationships and flexibility.

Its about engaging your mind and imagination but life is also going to be about engaging your heart.

The mounting problems can only be solved by working together across national and cultural borders and it is in my opinion a wonderful opportunity for all of us.

When I listen to the great faculty and to all of you I think the future is in good hands.

I thank you again for this distinguished honour.

Prof. Dr. Hermann Kuppe