Surgeons in Banská Bystrica performed the very first robot-assisted thyroid surgery in central Europe. (source: Facebook/F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banská Bystrica)
Every week The Slovak Spectator brings you a selection of three short stories from across Slovakia from which pessimism and negativity are absent.
Slovak surgeons score central European first in robot-assisted thyroid surgery
The team of surgeons was led by Gabriele Materazzi. (source: Facebook/F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banská Bystrica)
A team of surgeons from the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banská Bystrica, central Slovakia, can claim a unique milestone.
In late November, they performed the very first robot-assisted thyroid surgery in central Europe. The procedure brings several benefits. The patient is left with no ugly scar on their neck, and the risk of vocal nerve injury is reduced, meaning people are less likely to “wheeze” after the procedure.
The surgery was led by Gabriele Materazzi, a professor from the University of Pisa in Italy, with whom the surgeons from Banská Bystrica previously cooperated in 2005, when thyroid operations using the minimally invasive MIVAT method were introduced.
“The introduction of a robot-assisted approach in thyroid operations is an advance in minimally invasive surgery to an even higher quality level and we would like to introduce this as standard practice in the near future,” said Ľubomír Marko, head of the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital’s surgical clinic, in a Facebook post.
Ground squirrels feature on souvenir banknote
Tourists can now buy a souvenir banknote featuring ground squirrels. (source: eurosouvenir.sk)
Thousands of tourist are lured to the Biele Vody meadow in the Muránska Planina National Park each year, to see the European ground squirrels (or svišťs) that live there.
These popular animals have now been immortalised on a zero-euro souvenir note, thanks to an initiative by the nearby town of Muráň.
“The banknote with ground squirrels is a nice souvenir from our region,” Roman Goldschmidt, the mayor of Muráň, told the MY Novohrad regional newspaper.
The souvenir banknote, which costs €3 to buy but has no face value, can be bought at the municipal authority building in Muráň, and also near the meadow during the tourist season.
Festive bin lorry cruises the streets of Bratislava
OLO employees embrace the Christmas spirit. (source: Courtesy of OLO)
The city of Bratislava has extended its fleet of public vehicles decorated with Christmas lights.
In addition to the traditional Christmas tram, the municipal waste management company Odvoz a Likvidácia Odpadu (OLO) dispatched a specially decorated Christmas bin lorry on December 6. It will gradually visit all the city's boroughs. People will be able to see it between 16:00 and 20:00.
“We sent our Christmas truck onto the streets for the first time last year,” said Zuzana Balková, external communication manager at OLO. “It was enjoyed by both children and adults. They were making videos and pictures, and then tagging us on social networks. This is why we decided to continue this tradition also this year.”
The time schedule of the Christmas bin lorry can be found at the OLO website.
Five feel-good stories published by The Slovak Spectator to read:
Bratislava had its own Hachikō, the famously loyal dog. Apollko, mascot of the Bratislava Winter Harbour (Zimný Prístav), died of old age recently aged around 20, after displaying years of affection for his one-time carers there.
Dollmaker Svetlana Martynovskaya, who fled Ukraine with her teenage son last March, found a new home in Trenčín. She works for a machine shop, but also continues to make her rag dolls.
Puneet Dhiman, a 28-year-old Indian citizen who first came to Slovakia in order to study in Košice, now runs a unique food truck in Bratislava called Rolltown.
Matej Baláž uses mechanochemistry to find ways to clean the environment. In his dissertation, the scientist wrote about the use of a common kitchen waste product – eggshells – for water purification.
Several regions across Slovakia launched the ski season in the first weekend of December and welcomed enthusiasts of winter sports.
Political caricature of the week
In English: Love blossoms in every wood. (source: Rosie Naive Art)
With this picture, an artist who goes by the name Rosie Naive Art on social networks responded to Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (a nominee of the Slovak National Party), who criticised a painting by Slovak artist Andrej Dúbravský that depicted two men kissing. Dúbravský's painting was on display in the Slovak Public Radio building in Bratislava in October and November.
You can send me your tips on good news stories about Slovakia or funny memes at: radka.minarechova@spectator.sk. Thank you!
