A historical review of the development of physical medicine and rehabilitation service in Vojvodina

At the end of 1959, the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was founded as a part of the Main Provincial Hospital in Novi Sad and it was located in the building built for that purpose in 1958. This institution specialized for rehabilitation was the first of its kind in the region of Vojvodina. Drilling of the first well in the area of today's Futoski park began in 1897. Chemical analysis showed the presence of iodine in the mineral water. Construction of the iodine spa started at the beginning of the 20th century, and it has been changing ever since. The Department of Child Rehabilitation, the first and only in Vojvodina, was established at the end of 1968, at the Institute of Mother and Child Health Care, and it has been treating children with cerebral palsy from the territory of Novi Sad. Although their names have been changed through the time, all three physically separated objects for medical rehabilitation have the same purpose: to promote and improve the quality of healthcare for children and adults with various disabilities, by using modern principles of physical therapy and medical rehabilitation. All three institutions, the present Medical Rehabilitation Clinic, Special Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases and the Child Rehabilitation Clinic, are teaching hospitals of the Faculty of Medicine and of the Secondary Medical School. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is also an undergraduate and graduate course for medical students of the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad.