Thanks to the support of the Government of Switzerland, enhanced health services for local population, as well as refugees and migrants in Una-Sana Canton
Today we have officially marked the commencement of services in the renovated Department of Pulmonary and Infectious Diseases in Cantonal Hospital “Dr. Irfan Ljubijankić” in Bihać. Around 160,000 BAM were invested into the reconstruction and equipping of this department within the project Enhanced Health Care and Protection Response to UNHCR’s Persons of Concern in Una Sana Canton, funded by the Swiss Government and implemented by UNHCR in cooperation with Danish Refugee Council (DRC).
Cantonal Hospital, in cooperation with the resource Ministry, provided significant technical and financial contribution to this activity as to improve the level of health care due to increased number of persons in need and more frequent needs for urgent care at the level of Una- Sana Canton, including the needs of local population.
“It is very important to expand the capacities of this institution since more than 200,000 health-insured persons from Una-Sana Canton are beneficiaries of our hospital. This institution is of vital importance for providing health care to local population, but also to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers residing in our canton”, said Dr. Hajrudin Havić, Director of Cantonal Hospital.
“The renovation of the hospital departments not only improves the quality of the provided health care services, but also increases the capacity for an additional 20 patients in need of intensive and semi-intensive care for pulmonary and infectious diseases,” said Patrick Egli, Deputy Head of Cooperation in the Embassy of Switzerland in BiH.
“I am deeply grateful to the Una-Sana Canton health institutions for their health services to refugees and migrants since the onset of the 2018 mix movement needs. They have showed full solidarity and offered health services to refugees and migrants, even if the capacities were overstretched. The institutions have been leading the response by not creating a parallel healthcare system for the refugees and migrants but integrating them with humanity and solidarity inside the national system, helping also the local community and increasing the capacity of the health structure overall for the people of Una-Sana Canton,” said Francesca Bonelli, Acting UNHCR Representative in BiH.
“Since the beginning of refugee-migrant situation in BiH, from 250 to 300 migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are referred for specialist examinations in this institution each month. Furthermore, there are 10 -15 patients of this population receiving hospital treatment on a daily basis. This is why, thanks to the renovation of this department, we are pleased to have contributed to better health care of persons in need, as well as of local population”, said Nicola Bay, Director of DRC BiH.
On this very occasion, Primary Health Centres in Una-Sana Canton were also donated diagnostics equipment, as well as orthopaedic devices for infirmaries in the reception centres for asylum seekers, migrants and refugees, in the value of 72,000 BAM.
There is also a noble initiative of refugee and migrant community located in Borići Reception Centre, who, through a sewing workshop, prepared bed linen and towels and donated them to Cantonal Hospital in gratitude for care provided to their compatriots.
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