Eighteen years ago, the “Dušica Spasić” Award was established, an award presented to nurses of exceptional human and professional values.
The award bears the name of Dušica Spasić, who truly deserved such an honour. She deserved to have a street named after her, as indeed one street in the part of Belgrade where she lived now bears her name. She also deserved a shining bust bearing her image, placed at the clinic where she worked and cared for patients, as well as an award established in her memory.
She deserved this because she was brave and deeply dedicated to the nursing profession. She was the first victim of the deadly smallpox virus during the tragic outbreak of 1972. Dušica Spasić, a nurse at the First Surgical Clinic, was only 23 years old. Her life was taken by the deadly disease contracted from a patient, but her courage, care for patients, professionalism, cheerful spirit, and the smile with which she cared for the most vulnerable are still remembered half a century later.
In 2005, the Association of Nurses and Medical Technicians “Sestrinstvo” and Viva magazine established the “Dušica Spasić” Award in her memory. Over the years, it has traditionally been presented to the best nurses in the Republic of Serbia.
This year, the award was presented to Dragica Miličanović from the Užice Health Centre. According to the Association of Nurses and Medical Technicians of the Clinical Centre of Serbia “Sestrinstvo”, she is the best nurse in Serbia. Dragica Miličanović has been working in intensive care in Užice for 36 years.
The “Dušica Spasić” statue was also awarded to Božanka Divnić, Snežana Đurić Stanković, and Olgica Živković.
Representatives of Medika College also attended the official award ceremony.