SCREENING OF A FILM HONORS SURGEON MIODRAG LAZIĆ, A MAN BEYOND HEROISM

BIJELJINA, APRIL 17 /SRNA/ – The documentary film "War Surgeon", about Dr. Miodrag Lazić, who saved thousands of lives during the war and whom those who knew him describe as more than a hero, was screened in Bijeljina this evening.

“When Dr. Lazić came to the 'Žica' hospital and saved so many lives, he became more than a hero,” said Željko Milić, president of the Sarajevo-Romanija Region Heritage Association, which organized the screening. Milić emphasized that the film represents a modest contribution to what Dr. Lazić accomplished. Ljubiša Stanišić, president of the Assembly of the Sarajevo-Romanija Region Heritage Association, told reporters that Dr. Lazić symbolizes selflessness, national identity and the highest human values. He added that the film "War Surgeon" will also be screened at Bijeljina's city square, for which approval has been granted by the event's patron, the City of Bijeljina. The film portrays the period in which Dr. Lazić lived and worked, testifying to the power of humanity and dedication in the most difficult conditions, when surgeries were performed without basic equipment, often under shelling. Producer Oliver Paunović said the film about the Serbian surgeon from Niš, a volunteer, was produced over nearly two years based on Lazić's book "Diary of a War Surgeon". “We had the opportunity to speak about the war surgeon with people who worked with him and those whose lives he saved,” Paunović said, adding that artificial intelligence was also used in the film. Dr. Miodrag Lazić left his position as a surgeon in Niš in 1991 and went to the then Republic of Srpska Krajina. During the war in BiH, he participated as a surgeon in the breakthrough of the corridor in June 1992. He later volunteered at the "Koran" war hospital in Pale and was one of the founders of the "Žica" war hospital in Blažuj near Sarajevo, located close to the front line. He remained there for 40 months as the only surgeon in the area of then Serb Sarajevo, performing more than 3,500 operations under full anesthesia. For his contributions to saving lives of Serbs and people of other nationalities, Serbian Patriarch Pavle awarded him the Order of St. Sava. Lazić also received the Order of the Cross of Mercy from Republika Srpska, while Serbia posthumously awarded him the Order of Karađorđe's Star, First Class. He died on April 14, 2020, from the effects of the coronavirus.