The Department of General Medicine was established at the J. E. Purkyně Military Medical Research and Postgraduate Institute in 1983. It was formed from the former Group of Military Medical Service Organization in Peacetime which existed at the Department of Military Medical Service Organization. The reason for the foundation of the Department was the need to educate military doctors in newly established branch of General Medicine that became the basic branch for military doctors who were in charge of primary care in the Military Medical Service organizational structures. Specialization in the branch of internal medicine was insufficient and did not meet professional requirements for individual medical practice at Units and later at Garrison Dispensaries. First Specialization Exams in this new basic specialization branch were held in February 1985. 525 military doctors passed the Specialization Exam in General Medicine till 31st December 2004.

Since 1997, the work at this Department has focused more on pre-hospital emergency care and teaching the First Aid and Emergency Medicine. At the same time a significant modernization and a proper subdivision of teaching premises according to the type of courses were carried out there. Now the Department is equipped with modern teaching models and simulators for teaching pre-hospital care, including the possibility of interactive teaching aids. Current innovations of medical material and equipment are applied in teaching process. The extension of teaching activities in this new field called for changes in table posts at the Department. In 2001, the Healthcare Education and Training Group was established and other workers were engaged to teach the first aid. Since 2003, regarding the extension of teaching, the Department has had a new name – the Department of General and Emergency Medicine.

Updated 4/2011