Brief history
The current discipline of Family Medicine was created on the basis of the old discipline of Medical Polyclinic, transformed over time into the discipline of Outpatient Internal Medicine, Outpatient Medicine and now Family Medicine.
The Discipline of Medical Polyclinics was founded in 1975, at the beginning of the sixth year of studies of the first graduating class of the Faculty, with Prof. dr. Ion Ilinescu as founder and head of discipline.
The Balneophysiotherapy Discipline, headed by Dr. Roxana Popescu, specialist in Balneophysiotherapy, currently professor and head of the Physiotherapy and Medical Recovery Clinic of the Craiova Emergency Hospital, has been attached to the Medical Polyclinic from the beginning.
The Discipline of Medical Polyclinic was completed in the period 1975-1990 in order with the following teachers, who carried out teaching activity in the profile of the discipline in the periods (see Photo 4,5,6,7_Colectiv Pol.med.):
Dr. Viorel Nicu Pârvulescu - 1977 - currently Associate Professor of the discipline,
Dr. Maria Homeag - 1978 - 1990 - currently Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
Dr. Magdalena Iscru - 1978 - 1981
Dr. Dragoş Camen - 1983 - 1995
Dr. Viorela Enăchescu - 1985 - currently Professor of the discipline
Dr. Sorin Paul Beznă - 1990 - present
Dr. Vasile Ştefan - 1996 - 2003 - former professor and head of discipline from 1996 to 2003.
From 1977 to 1990, the discipline carries out its activity every semester in daily three-hour and four-hour weekly courses covering all the issues of Emergency and Polyclinic pathology in Internal Medicine, carrying out a clinical synthesis theme in outpatient pathology and short-term hospitalization in Internal Medicine.
The clinical base of the discipline has always been the Polyclinic No. 3 Electroputere - located on the eastern industrial platform of Craiova, which has provided over the years primary and specialist outpatient and hospital care to the staff of all enterprises of the platform as well as their families.
The research directions of the discipline were related to working conditions and pathology of some occupational categories: respiratory pathology favoured by exposure to noxious substances, functional digestive pathology, pathology of chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis and risk factors and treatment of the cardiovascular patient.
During this period, several clinical studies were elaborated and numerous works of the members of the discipline were published in the journal Viața Medicală and Annals of the University of Craiova, as well as in Archives de l`Union Medicale Balcanique. Apart from the editing of 3 lithographed course volumes, the main publishing achievement of the discipline's team was the editing of the "Treatise on Medical Clinic and Pathology", under the direction of Prof. Ion Ilinescu, the members of the discipline being part of the collective of authors.
Since 1987 - when the Electroputere company equipped the Polyclinic No. 3 Craiova with the first ultrasound equipment in the Oltenia area - the members of the discipline obtained competence in ultrasound practice and started their medical activity in this field - which they still carry out today.
Discipline of Outpatient Internal Medicine was created by separating the activity of the Medical and Surgical Emergencies discipline, clinically based at the Emergency Department of Hospital No. 1 Craiova and Balneophysiotherapy which carries out its activity in the Physiotherapy and Medical Recovery Clinic of Hospital No. 1 Craiova.
Outpatient Internal Medicine continued its activity since 1990 in the same clinical base - Polyclinic No. 3 Craiova until June 2003, with half the number of hours of course and internship initially, successively modifying and adapting the theme to the new status: Outpatient Internal Medicine 1990 - 2000, Outpatient Medicine 2000 - 2003, Family Medicine since autumn 2003 and with the following membership:
Prof. dr. Vasile Ştefan 1996 - 2003
Conf. dr. Viorel Nicu Pârvulescu
Conf. Dr. Viorela Enăchescu
Şef lucrări dr. Sorin Paul Beznă
Since 2003 the discipline has the profile of Family Medicine and the current collective has the following composition (see Photo 8,9_Current collective):
Prof. Dr. Viorela Enăchescu
Conf. dr. Viorel Nicu Pârvulescu
Şef lucrări dr. Sorin Paul Beznă
Şef lucrări dr. Ligia Florea - din 2003
Asist. univ. dr. Cristiana Paula Bărbulescu - din februarie 2005
The current headquarters of the discipline is at Hospital No. 2 Filantropia, Calea Severinului No. 6, with a lecture room and 2 rooms for practical internships for students equipped with overhead projector, computer, video-recorder and diaprojector, as well as the Family Medicine office of Dr. Florea Ligia.
Between 1998 and 2001 the members of the discipline published 3 courses on "Internal Medicine in Outpatient Practice" and were principal authors or co-authors on more than 20 published papers - monographs and books.
The main research interests are: the study of risk factors in the pathology of the cardiovascular patient, hepatic tumour pathology, functional digestive pathology, the contribution of ultrasonography techniques in the diagnosis of tumour pathology, studies in kidney pathology. The research activity of the members of the discipline has resulted in more than 200 papers presented at national and international scientific events, more than 300 papers published in volumes of abstracts and about 150 papers published in extenso in national and international journals.
Over the years, numerous postgraduate courses have been organised in the discipline: more than 35 courses on ultrasonography, 10 courses for general practitioners, 4 courses on gastroenterology, as well as numerous communications and presentations at the meetings of the branches of the ultrasonography and cardiology societies.
Since 1998 the members of the discipline have organized important scientific events: 2 intercounty symposia including "Actualities in Ultrasonography" in 1998 and 2002, the 2nd National Conference on Ultrasonography with international participation, 27-29 May 1999, which gathered more than 700 participants, the intercounty symposium - June 2003 within the UMF Craiova Days, "Hepatic Steatosis - etiopathogenesis and treatment", the European Euroson School Course - Breast Ultrasound, September 2004.
Nowadays the discipline of Family Medicine has been organized since 2003 in a new structure - the Department of Family Medicine, Department no. 13 of UMF Craiova, which also includes disciplines with a related profile: Medical and Surgical Emergencies, Medical First Aid, Occupational Medicine, Public Health and Health Management, Bioethics and Geriatrics.
There are collaborations with the departments of Family Medicine in the university centres of Bucharest, Iași, Cluj, Arad and exchanges of experience with Iași and Cluj, as well as with the National Study Centre for Family Medicine, the professionals of the discipline being invited to comment on the practice guidelines developed.
Through the participation of members of the discipline in the International Family Medicine Course and Symposium, Dubrovnik 2004, contacts were established with Family Medicine departments, disciplines and practitioners from 12 countries.
Head of Department,
Prof. dr. Viorela Enăchescu.