Professor Djordje Janjic, the director of the main clinical centre, explained that the system was disrupted because certain departments of the hospital are in the south of the city and others are located in the north. The Clinical centre in the south has 1500 beds, while some 700 beds are located across the river. The main cardiology unit, for example, is situated in the south. Anyone who suffers a heart attack in the north of Novi Sad cannot be speedily enough transported to receive treatment. To address the problem a small cardiology department has been set up in the Clinical centre in the north.
Orthopaedic surgery is located in the north.
Each day a surgeon travels to the other part of town to help out, but the departments in the south lack the necessary equipment. Although the restrictions on the import of medical supplies are now less strict than in 1992, stocks are dwindling, mainly as a result of a lack of hard currency funds for imported supplies. In fact, even dinars are in short supply. The pharmaceutical industry in Yugoslavia itself cannot produce enough medicine because it cannot afford the raw materials. But the bombing by NATO of the ICN pharmaceutical plant has reduced the potential capacity for the production of medicine even if funds for raw materials were available.