FBiH Government: To assist the General Hospital in Novi Pazar with human and material resources

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina at today's emergency session held by telephone adopted the information of the Federal Ministry of Health on the need to provide assistance to the healthcare institution in the territory of the Republic of Serbia - the Sandžak Region with the aim of preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. The Federal Government, it was concluded, will send an act to the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina requesting that, through the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an act be sent to the managements of clinical centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as regional and cantonal hospitals, with the aim of assessing the possibility of providing assistance to the General Hospital in Novi Pazar through the deployment of professional staff of the required specialties, who would specifically help in remedying the emerging COVID-19 hotspot in Sandžak - Republic of Serbia. The FBiH Government calls on the managements of clinical centers in FBiH, as well as cantonal hospitals, to urgently assess their capabilities.

The purpose of the information was to acquaint members of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the need to provide professional assistance to the healthcare institution in the territory of the Republic of Serbia - the Sandžak Region, which borders Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the aim of preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, based on a request from the Association of Citizens Originating from Sandžak and the General Hospital in Novi Pazar.

It is evident, as stated in the information, that in Bosnia and Herzegovina we are recording a worsened COVID-19 epidemiological situation, and that measures are being taken in this regard by the competent authorities at all levels. A similar situation exists in neighboring countries. The situation with COVID-19 in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot improve unless stabilization is achieved in neighboring countries as well.

With the lifting of the state of natural disaster caused by COVID-19 in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., the state of emergency in the Republika Srpska, and the cessation of the state of threat to citizens of Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19), the opening of borders, the easing of measures, and the restart of business entities that did not operate during restrictive measures, an increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19 has been recorded. In certain cantons, with the opening of borders, the importation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been recorded, carried into Bosnia and Herzegovina by BH or foreign nationals. In the Sarajevo Canton, according to the report of the Institute for Public Health of the Sarajevo Canton, from June 10, 2020, until today, imported cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been registered through epidemiological investigation, i.e., 20 of them from the neighboring Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro. All of this has led to the transmission and spread of COVID-19 not only in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina but also in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Association of Citizens Originating from Sandžak, registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina, sent an act to the Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina requesting assistance regarding the newly emerged situation of an increased number of infected in Sandžak, through aid in medical supplies and equipment to the affected areas. Also, the General Hospital Novi Pazar addressed the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina with an act warning that professional and personnel assistance is necessary for this healthcare institution, with the most needed specialists in the fields of anesthesiology, infectology, pulmonology, and radiology, as well as professional mid-level medical staff.