Maglaj Health Center to be fully operational by mid-November

Shocking images of the Maglaj Health Center, which was devastated by the floodwaters up to the second floor, went around the world in May 2014. The situation is significantly different today. Urgent construction works are underway, financed through the EU Programme for Flood Recovery, to ensure healthcare for the citizens of Maglaj as soon as possible, it was announced from the EU Delegation to BiH, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

The deadline for the completion of rehabilitation works is mid-November. Works are currently concentrated on the basement premises to make the heating system operational and ensure the replacement of electrical installations. Workers are constantly monitoring the moisture levels in the floors and walls in the rest of the building, and expect the process of internal rehabilitation of the premises to begin soon.

Around 25,000 residents of Maglaj and its suburban settlements entrust their health to this Center. The Director of the Center, Dr. Emira Drnda-Čičeklić, stated that they have 200,000 users annually.

- One person uses one of the services we provide eight times - says Drnda-Čičeklić.

Despite difficult working conditions, the Maglaj Health Center has continued to provide services to citizens at a reduced capacity.

- We are trying to maintain a satisfactory level of healthcare in the premises that are suitable for work. For services that we are temporarily unable to provide, citizens travel to Tešanj - adds Dr. Drnda-Čičeklić.

One of them is 46-year-old Rasema Mumić, who traveled 40 kilometers to Tešanj for an X-ray and back to Maglaj to consult with a doctor about continuing her treatment.

- There are many people in Maglaj who cannot afford such an expense. After this experience, I cannot even begin to explain how important it is to have healthcare services in Maglaj - says Mumić. 

The Maglaj Health Center is one of the four destroyed in the May floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina that are currently being rehabilitated with funds from the EU Programme for Flood Recovery. Andy McGuffie, spokesperson for the Delegation of the European Union to BiH and the EU Special Representative, said that enabling the re-establishment of healthcare services for the residents of the flood-affected areas is among the key objectives of the Programme, which includes the rehabilitation of damages to all health centers destroyed in Maglaj, Doboj, Domaljevac, and Šamac.

Representatives of UNDP, which is implementing the Programme, express satisfaction with the progress of works worth almost one million KM, which began in early September.

- Works are proceeding in three shifts. Since the nature of certain works depends on weather conditions, we must be patient and not compromise the quality of the works - says Siniša Ubiparipović, head of UNDP in Doboj.