Together, we are stronger: European Union in solidarity withBosnia and Herzegovina in difficult times too
High-quality, essential medical equipment donated by the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina is delivered daily to hospitals across the country. Equipment procured in accordance with European Uni...
High-quality, essential medical equipment donated by the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina is delivered daily to hospitals across the country. Equipment procured in accordance with European Union procurement procedures includes respirators, ultrasound and X-ray machines, as well as significant quantities of protective medical equipment required for medical personnel facing new challenges on a daily basis.
“Respirators are needed not only to treat patients with the most severe cases of COVID-19 but also to treat respiratory failures. Respirators save the lives of such patients, so this donation is of great importance to our work and certainly contributes to the improvement of the health care that we provide to patients,” stated Draženka Tešić from the hospital “Sveti Vračevi” in Bijeljina. Hospital representatives added that they have had excellent cooperation with the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina so far, and that two new respirators significantly improve the level of health care of the largest health institution in Semberija.
Within the assistance programme to BiH in the fight against COVID-19, the European Union has donated necessary medical equipment to hospitals throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina in the total value of 7 million euros. The first respirators, X-ray machines and other medical and protective equipment were delivered to hospitals in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of March, at the height of the pandemic in Europe.
Three machines were delivered to Prijedor hospital „Dr. Mladen Stojanović“, from which, according to the head of the Anesthesiology Department, patients who need mechanical ventilation in the treatment of very serious conditions will benefit the most. “First, we were supplied with an anesthesia machine, which is important since it can be used as a respirator in case of need. This machine is also important to us because the existing equipment is already ten years old. In the second delivery, two respirators were delivered to us and their significance is that they can be used for non-invasive ventilation of patients. We are very grateful to the EU for the donation of medical equipment and we hope that this cooperation will continue,” said Dr. Radenko Jungić
So far, medical equipment was delivered to clinical centres in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Tuzla, as well as to hospitals across Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Zvornik, Doboj, Konjic, Livno, Nevesinje, Bihać, Sanski Most, Gradiška, Zenica, Tešanj and other towns, leading to significant improvement to the capacities and preparedness of medical staff to carry out their daily work in what are extremely difficult and unpredictable conditions.
Through this project, the European Union ensures installation of equipment and training the medical staff to operate it.
Dr. Zoran Karlović, Head of the Department of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care at the University Clinical Hospital in Mostar, says that each piece of donated equipment is very valuable, both from the point of view of improving the level of health care provided by the health institution and from the point of view of educating doctors and staff. “COVID-19 is a mutable disease. It changes in a short period of time from mild to severe or to a critical clinical picture, and now the age of the patient is also changing. Any equipment that is good, and with characteristics that are satisfactory to us, is certainly necessary and can never be surplus to requirement. We must have compensation mechanisms because we can never know how many patients we might have at any given time,” emphasizes Dr. Karlović.
Delivery of highly sophisticated medical and protective equipment donated by the European Union to medical institutions in BiH will continue in the coming period, in accordance with conditions and actual needs on the ground.
Procurement of equipment is carried out within the project financed by the European Union, implemented by UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For further info, please visit www.europa.ba
