prijava
MOSTAR, June 18 (FENA) - Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH, Ambassador Johann Sattler, handed over 5,800 Pfizer vaccines today to the Public Health Institute of the Federation of BiH and five medical devices to the University Clinical Hospital (SKB) Mostar worth about 50,000 KM, which will be used to supply oxygen to respiratory-endangered patients.
“In addition to vaccines, we have also provided significant medical equipment and supplies. It is a total of 20 million euros, of which 7 million euros are available for medical equipment and 13 million euros for vaccines, but I would say that these figures are not the most important thing. What is much more important is the solidarity shown by this act, as well as the fact that the European Union stays with BiH, which is quite natural because you are our friends and a future member of the Union,” said Sattler.
He adds that today's vaccine donation is a broader part of EU deliveries that began about a month ago.
“In total, over 214,000 vaccines should be delivered to Bosnia and Herzegovina by August. This is certainly good news, and what is important is that the vaccination process is going on and is continuous in order to reach 50 to 60 percent of the vaccinated population, which will enable collective immunity,” said Ambassador Sattler.
Minister of Civil Affairs of BiH, Ankica Gudeljević, assessed that the institutes for public health in BiH carry one of the biggest burdens when it comes to the reception and distribution of vaccines.
“I am glad that Ambassador Sattler and I managed to visit Mostar, SKB and the Institute of Public Health together. The European Union has done so much for BiH so far and they help us a lot in all these difficult moments that it is simply not enough to say thank you. I ask all of us to justify this trust and the help we constantly receive from the EU so that we will do our job the best we can to bring this country as close as possible to membership in the European Union,” said Gudeljević.
She stated that the Covax and EU4health mechanisms are the two main sources from which BiH receives vaccines when it comes to their procurement from the state level.
As for negotiations with Pfizer, she added that the first informative interview had taken place.
Assistant Director of the University Clinical Hospital (SKB) Mostar, Ivan Ćavar, said that five devices, high-flow nasal cannulas, were handed over in today's donation.
Director of the FBiH Public Health Institute, Siniša Skočibušić, emphasized that the Institute had made great efforts to resolve public health issues.
“So far, we have distributed a large number of vaccines, we hope that even more will come, and that our population will be very interested in vaccination. No vaccine has failed so far and I hope we will continue in that direction. We are at everyone's disposal for all information and we hope that we will have support in the vaccination campaign, which will certainly have to be intensified in the coming period. Only together we manage to distribute all vaccines on time and in the right way, to be a quality medical product and to be given for each patient individually,” said Skočibušić.
As for the Chinese manufacturer, he adds that the Institute signed the agreement, sent the originals to China and is now waiting for them to sign.
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