WHO donates medical equipment worth EUR 200,000 to Montenegro

The World Health Organization (WHO) has donated medical equipment worth EUR 200,000 to the Montenegrin health system. Donated equipment is very important in the treatment of patients with COVID-19.

On that occasion, Minister of Health Jelena Borovinić Bojović met today with Head of the Office of the World Health Organization in Montenegro Mina Brajović.

Thanks to the excellent cooperation of the Ministry of Health with the World Health Organization, a large donation of medical equipment was provided to Montenegro today, which includes diagnostic kits worth EUR 100,000 and oxygen manometers of the same value, said the Minister of Health. She explained that the donated diagnostic kits maximally strengthen the laboratory capacities of the Public Health Institute, while the new oxygen manometers strengthen clinical management, i.e. create the possibility of the best delivery of oxygen therapy in hospital conditions. Oxygen manometers that have such capabilities, according to her, provide extremely good oxygen administration through oxygen bottles, and thus facilitate any treatment protocol.

Apart from this very valuable donation that arrived in Montenegro, in cooperation with the WHO, we have realized three very important projects. Firstly, it is the training of health workers in all health institutions, a project related to the rehabilitation of COVID patients and the development of the most modern guidelines and protocols for the treatment of these patients, which are made according to world standards. In addition to this, it is very important that we promote the digital platform of clinical management, which started working yesterday, again thanks to the cooperation with the WHO. This platform enables us to have insight and to monitor hospital capacity at any time in all municipalities in Montenegro. Unfortunately, until now, there was no such possibility in Montenegro, and now, with the help of the digital platform, it is easier to monitor capacity, but also to monitor all hospital patients, regardless of where they are in Montenegro, said the Minister.

She noted that it is very important that in Montenegro, thanks to cooperation with the WHO, we will soon have the possibility of so-called sequencing, i.e. recognition of mutagenic forms of the virus, which has not been possible in our country and which maximally improves the laboratory capacities at the Public Health Institute.

The Minister thanked once again the World Health Organization and Ms. Mina Brajović for her exceptional cooperation with the Ministry of Health, noting the continuous, intensive communication since 4 December 2020 that resulted in today's donation.

Head of the Office of the World Health Organization in Montenegro Mina Brajović expressed satisfaction with the cooperation and welcomed the efforts of the Ministry of Health to strengthen the capacity of the overall health system, with special focus on strengthening primary health care to effectively treat patients at the community level, in accordance with the latest guidelines.

I would especially like to emphasise the cooperation in defining, establishing and operationalizing a digital platform for managing data generated through clinical management, which is very important in a pandemic, when we have to be faster than the virus. This is another valuable and significant donation from the World Health Organization aimed at providing effective response against COVID-19 in Montenegro, Mina Brajović emphasised.

She reminded that in the past 12 months in Montenegro, and 14 months at a global level, the World Health Organization has delivered various donations, as well as that it provides technical support, which is both comprehensive and diverse.

Our message remains unchanged. It is an appeal to all citizens of Montenegro to respect the recommended measures, to do everything in their power to prevent infection regardless of age. The message to the citizens is to show solidarity and give a hand of support to doctors, who work 24/7 all these months, protecting our health and our lives, and also to get vaccinated voluntarily, Brajović said.