Strong health systems are an essential foundation for detecting and managing diseases, as well as ensuring the health of the public. This was the key message from Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, during his short visit to Serbia on 24–25 February, which underlined that working with countries is at the centre of his vision for health.
Dr Kluge also presented his vision for health in the WHO European Region: united action for better health, with a specific focus on countries, to the health workers of tomorrow at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine.
COVID-19 was an ever-present topic throughout the visit. Speaking to the press, Dr Kluge explained that Serbia is committed and ready to handle any potential cases of COVID-19, adding that he is leaving the country feeling confident.
Working in partnership
While in Serbia, Dr Kluge and the Serbian Minister of Health, Dr Zlatibor Lončar, signed a biennial collaborative agreement. This is a two-yearly agreement on cooperation between WHO/Europe and a Member State to guide cooperation. This agreement emphasized the need to create stronger health systems, and work on country priority health issues, including noncommunicable diseases and immunization.
High-level meetings were held with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and with the Prime Minister Ana Brnabić. The purpose of these meetings was to discuss specific health issues and to agree on how WHO/Europe can do more to support Serbia in achieving its health aims by working with the highest levels of government. One of the key topics discussed was the importance of tackling air pollution.
On the ground
During a visit to a primary health care centre, Savski Venac, Dr Kluge had the opportunity to speak with health workers about their work providing care in the community, including tackling antimicrobial resistance, countering vaccine hesitancy and helping detect any potential cases of COVID-19.
Through the sterling work of these centres, use of antimicrobials has fallen by around 40% since 2015. Furthermore, following a measles outbreak in 2017–2018, Serbia responded by increasing vaccination rates to bring the number of cases under control and end the outbreak in August 2019.
In addition to high-level meetings, the visit was an opportunity to speak with health workers and partner agencies about their work on the ground in Serbia. A meeting with UN and EU counterparts, including the European Union’s Ambassador to Serbia, offered the chance for WHO/Europe to understand more on how the different agencies can cooperate to improve health in Serbia.