SAME QUALITY OF SERVICES IN ALL HOSPITALS SHOULD BE ENSURED

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 31 /SRNA/ - Significant investment has been made in new hospitals in Republika Srpska over the past several years, with the aim of standardizing healthcare services and ensuring the same quality of care in all healthcare institutions, Health and Social Welfare Minister Alen Šeranić said.

Šeranić said the largest hospitals are in Doboj and Trebinje, while the next step in their modernization is in Prijedor.

He explained that in Prijedor, consideration was given to whether to build a new facility or renovate the existing one. Given that there has been no significant investment in the past 40 years, the plan is to retain only the main structure, while everything else will be new.

"That is a serious and demanding project. I expect us to publish a public call for the first phase next week. According to the conceptual design, the project is estimated at around BAM 196 million, and will be funded from the Republika Srpska budget," Šeranić told Večernje novosti.

He reminded that the first phase of the reconstruction of Foča Hospital has also been completed and that activities on the second phase have already begun there.

The minister said that the University Clinical Centre of Republika Srpska in Banja Luka has a new oncology and palliative care facility, and also noted major investments in new facilities at the Dr Miroslav Zotović Institute.

"Thanks to the support of the Republika Srpska leadership, we have truly accomplished a great deal," Minister Šeranić said, adding that new investment in Bijeljina Hospital is also planned.

He reminded that a new hospital had previously been built in the second-largest city in Republika Srpska, but demand for services has increased since it opened in 2013, so the expansion of its capacity is now planned.

He stressed that one of the priorities is to establish a larger emergency centre in Bijeljina, while the hospital also plans to develop minimally invasive surgery with the support of colleagues from Serbia.

He noted that the establishment of a Republika Srpska centre for specialized social services for children and young people with developmental disabilities is currently underway. Its headquarters will be in Foča, with units in Banja Luka and Derventa.

"Our goal is to develop a public institution funded by the budget, so that parents can access these services closer to their homes. We expect it to become fully operational next year," Minister Šeranić said.