WHO Experts on BiH: Increase Testing Volume, Institutions Must Be Ahead of the Virus

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - A delegation from the World Health Organization, including Dr. Victor Olsavszky, Head of the WHO Office for BiH, Dr. Fabio Scano, Special Advisor to the Director of the WHO European Region, Dr. Ardita Tahirukaj, expert in essential health services (WHO Regional Office for Europe), and Ms. Martha Scherzer, expert in crisis communication, visited the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH.

The discussion covered several points, the most important of which was Covid-19. Dr. Scano emphasized the importance of going through the pandemic together and that it will not end anytime soon. This fact also implies a change in approach, meaning that all available experiences should be considered, adapted, and applied.

The second topic was BiH's accession to the Gavi Alliance for vaccine procurement for the residents of BiH. Dr. Olsavszky stressed how important it is for Bosnia and Herzegovina to engage in preparatory activities for vaccine procurement. At the same time, the significant role of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in consolidating all the needs expressed by the entities and the Brčko District and presenting these needs through a common document was highlighted.

The stance that testing should be intensified, that a much larger number of citizens should be included, and that competent services must be ahead of the virus was reiterated and emphasized. Competent institutions must find a mechanism to anticipate what will happen and what the movement of the virus will be, in order to create different scenarios for combating the virus. As an example of good practice, which BiH still lacks, "contact tracing" was mentioned, which in BiH is mainly based on one contact that an infected person had, while in other countries it involves tracing five to fifteen contacts.

At the end of the visit, Dr. Olsavszky expressed support for BiH's participation in the 70th virtual session of the World Health Organization's Regional Committee, which will be held on September 14, 2020.