No funds yet for Ebola fight, and when they will come is unknown

The FBiH Government today adopted the Information on measures being taken for the prevention and control of Ebola in the Federation of BiH, as well as the need for urgent allocation of intervention budget funds for 2014, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

With the aim of preventing and controlling the Ebola virus in the Federation of BiH, the Government today tasked the Institute for Public Health of FBiH to submit a request to the Federal Ministry of Finance for the allocation of funds in the amount of 200,000 KM from the Budget of the Federation of BiH for 2014. The funds are intended for the procurement of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, as well as for equipping isolation units in clinical centers in the Federation of BiH, primarily at the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo. Based on this request, the Federal Ministry of Finance will prepare a decision for the Government on the allocation of funds.

The Institute for Public Health is obliged, upon the transfer of funds, to centrally procure the necessary goods through a negotiated procedure without publishing a procurement notice, due to extreme urgency. The Federal Ministry of Health and the Institute for Public Health are tasked with continuing to implement measures for the prevention and control of the Ebola virus in the territory of the Federation of BiH, in cooperation with the Federal Administration for Inspection Affairs, the State Border Service, the competent cantonal and federal inspectorates, as well as the competent authorities in the state, entities, and Brčko District of BiH.

The FBiH Government also adopted a Decision approving the Federal Ministry of Health to allocate 14,510 convertible marks from donor funds from the project "Early Childhood Growth and Development." The funds, donated by UNICEF, are intended for the urgent procurement of equipment for protection against the spread of the Ebola virus.