Dr. Mehić: After the war in BiH, the number of tuberculosis patients significantly increased

The Red Cross of Bosnia and Herzegovina and UNDP today donated a "Caddy" vehicle to the Clinic for Lung Diseases of the University Clinical Center Sarajevo, which will facilitate the transport of patients (bedridden), as well as medical equipment and medicines, writes the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

Prof. Dr. Damir Aganović, Director of the University Clinical Center Sarajevo, stated that every donation is extremely important for the University Clinical Center Sarajevo, especially this one, as it is intended for the transport of bedridden patients who, due to the nature of their illness, are mostly unable to go for examinations on their own.

- This is a great help for us, because our vehicles travel around 310,000 kilometers annually within and outside the Clinical Center - said Dr. Aganović.

The cooperation between UNDP and the University Clinical Center Sarajevo has been ongoing for a longer period, and among the most significant projects are the project for the construction of a department for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (which is underway), the project for the reconstruction of the BSL 3 laboratory for tuberculosis diagnostics, which is already operational, and the equipping of the HIV unit at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases.

Branko Leko, Secretary of the Red Cross of BiH, stated that the situation is extremely difficult when it comes to tuberculosis patients in BiH.

- I wish that the vehicle is used in the best possible way at KCUS and is beneficial to patients - said Leko.

Head of the Clinic for Lung Diseases, Prof. Dr. Bakir Mehić, emphasized that the increase in the number of tuberculosis patients in BiH occurred after the end of the war, at the end of the last century.

- Thanks to dedicated work and cooperation with partners, the incidence of tuberculosis today has decreased by almost half compared to the post-war period. The Clinic for Lung Diseases also receives medicines for the treatment of tuberculosis from the Global Fund, which is of utmost importance because it is an extremely dangerous disease - said Dr. Mehić, reports Patria.