ŠERANIĆ AND AVDALOVIĆ AGREE ON THE PURCHASE OF AN X-RAY MACHINE FOR HEALTH CENTRE

NEVESINJE, AUGUST 20 /SRNA/ - The Republika Srpska Ministry of Health and Social Welfare will procure a digital X-ray machine for the Nevesinje Health Centre through the World Bank, Health and Social Welfare Minister Alen Šeranić and Nevesinje Mayor Milenko Avdalović agreed today.

Following a meeting with the municipal leadership, Šeranić told reporters that the Nevesinje Health Centre was functioning very well, particularly now that it was included in the municipality’s Treasury system, which enables various development projects.

"When we discussed what the Health Centre needed most, we concluded that it was a digital X-ray machine, which we will certainly include in the procurement process together with the World Bank, which is currently underway," Šeranić said.

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare stressed that this procurement process for the X-ray machine would allow funds within the local community’s budget to be reallocated to address another issue, namely the purchase of a vehicle for patients undergoing haemodialysis.

He explained that the procurement of the vehicle would follow a similar model to that used in the municipalities of Ribnik and Mrkonjić Grad.

Šeranić said that they had also discussed the need to renovate the fourth floor of the Health Centre to expand palliative care capacity in Nevesinje.

"So these are some of the next projects we will certainly turn our attention to. In terms of social welfare, Nevesinje has always had an adequate social welfare system, and the municipality is actively involved in all activities related to social welfare," Šeranić said.

Šeranić said he had also discussed with Mayor Avdalović the funds allocated by the municipality to Moja Nada, an association that brings together parents and children with special needs.

"The mayor informed me that the municipality allocates substantial funds to this association. We can also get involved next year, if necessary, by helping with the purchase of educational equipment or other items for the association, so that we can join the municipality’s efforts, which would be beneficial," Šeranić said.

He said that his meeting with Avdalović had also covered many issues extending beyond healthcare and social welfare in Nevesinje.

"Of course, there is also the staffing issue, which the mayor mentioned. This is something that concerns not only Republika Srpska, but the entire region and, essentially, Europe as a whole. Some changes will certainly have to be made, including introducing new occupations related to healthcare," Šeranić said, explaining that he was referring primarily to the certification of caregivers who could perform certain duties in healthcare institutions or care homes for the elderly.

He said this would ensure that nursing duties are left to nurses themselves.

"The current problem when it comes to nurses, which we have also been working to address, is that young people who graduate from medical schools today most often do not go into employment, but instead enrol in university," Šeranić said, noting that they do not leave the country but instead study special education, psychology, social work and other fields related to the medical profession or work in healthcare and social welfare.

According to him, this is why ways must be found to address the shortage of nurses.

"We already have some solutions in place and have worked on projects, documents and plans on this issue. The Republika Srpska Government has adopted an action plan for the development of nursing in Republika Srpska," Šeranić said.

He said that this was a ten-year action plan envisaging a range of measures to address challenges related to both the number of nurses and the quality of their work.

Nevesinje Mayor Avdalović told reporters that the meeting had covered healthcare and the functioning of the Health Centre, Hospital and Centre for Social Work.

"We discussed the work of the Nevesinje Health Centre and the purchase of an X-ray machine for our facility, as our budget had allocated BAM 80,000 for that item and BAM 50,000 for the purchase of a vehicle for dialysis patients," Avdalović said.

He said that Šeranić had told him that the Ministry would purchase an X-ray machine for the Health Centre through the World Bank, allowing the municipality to redirect the entire amount allocated for the machine to the purchase of a vehicle for dialysis patients, which would take them to Trebinje three times a week.

"We also discussed the hospital and the construction of the so-called bridge between the two facilities, namely between the new hospital building and the third floor of the Health Centre building, where palliative care services and the new hospital would operate," Avdalović said.

He said that Šeranić had expressed a desire to support the work of the Moja Nada association and that they had discussed ways in which the Republika Srpska Ministry of Health could provide assistance from its budget.