As Serbia seeks to accelerate its efforts to achieve universal health coverage, Minister of Health Dr Danica Grujičić travelled to the WHO Regional Office for Europe in Copenhagen this week, the first such visit by a Serbian minister of health to the Regional Office in 12 years.
It also marked the first in-person meeting between WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge and Minister Grujičić, who was accompanied by Dr Fabio Scano, the Regional Director’s Special Envoy for the Western Balkans.
A key issue on the agenda was to better define the scope for future collaboration on an integrated model of primary health care (PHC) for Serbia, incorporating a range of services including mental health and a greater focus on tackling noncommunicable diseases, such as tobacco-related illnesses.
Another priority issue was how to further strengthen the resilience of Serbia’s health-care system to better prepare it to respond to any future emergencies, in the light of lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Serbia will provide support for this initiative, with EU funding.
“WHO/Europe commends Serbia for embracing what I call the dual track approach to public health: preparing better for the mounting emergencies we know lie ahead in this age of permacrisis, while ensuring that the health system can still deliver essential, everyday health services to benefit all,” said Dr Kluge.
WHO will support the establishment of a “PHC incubator” in Serbia during the next 6 months, with a focus on the human resources investments required to deliver expanded services. The initiative will also facilitate a radical shift in the prevention, treatment and care of noncommunicable diseases including cancer, and improved access to mental health programmes, thereby better enabling people to get the services they need closer to their homes.
“Serbia is proud of its achievements in the last 10 years when it comes to infrastructure and the construction of new hospitals, but now is the time to focus on the organization and improvement of health care, especially primary health care,” said Minister Grujičić.
WHO will also work with Serbia on governance aspects of health information systems and the e-health agenda, as well as providing continued support to strengthening the capacities of the national regulatory authority on the benchmarking of vaccines, medicines and blood supplies and products. This latter support will help prepare Serbia for the full transfer of WHO mRNA vaccine know-how and technologies, and for the production of safe medicines and other products in line with the highest international standards.
Serbia, one of the European Region’s 53 Member States, has also expressed an interest in playing a more active role in the governance of WHO, through participating in key WHO governing bodies.