Finally arrived: Babies who did not receive the BCG vaccine at birth will be vaccinated at the Health Center

There was a vaccine shortage in Sarajevo Canton from April 30. There was no BCG vaccine against tuberculosis in Sarajevo maternity wards, nor in the Health Centers of Sarajevo Canton, writes the news agency Patria.

As confirmed to us, the vaccines have arrived and are already being distributed to Health Centers, and today they will start calling babies who did not receive the BCG vaccine immediately after birth at KCUS.

In addition to the BCG vaccine, the MRP, DTPR, and Tetravax vaccines were also unavailable at the Health Centers. As explained to us, the supplier is Torlak from Belgrade, and the vaccines have a short shelf life, and checks were carried out by the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices.

The epidemiological situation in the region is unfavorable (fewer and fewer vaccinated children), so it is a real luxury and negligence to get into such a situation, where vaccination is postponed due to poor procurement planning.

Although BCG is given 24 hours after birth, doctors emphasize that if this does not happen, there is no obstacle for the newborn to receive the vaccine upon their first contact with a healthcare facility.

Otherwise, vaccination is a legal obligation. In such a situation, the competent institutions are directly violating the law, preventing the vaccination of newborns, and thus violating their fundamental human right to healthcare.