The Sarajevo Gerontology Center received on Wednesday protective equipment, the purchase of which was funded by the Government of the Kingdom of Norway and the Government of the Canton of Sarajevo, and provided by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in BiH.
The total value of this donation in COVID-19 equipment necessary for protection against disease is 70,000 BAM, and will be awarded to six other institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labor, Social Policy, Displaced Persons and Refugees of Sarajevo Canton.
“This is a very important donation to us. We have gone to seven of the most vulnerable institutions when it comes to coronavirus protection, so this help is welcome as I don’t know what awaits us if a new wave of infection occurs. We have agreed that the equipment will be used rationally,” said Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister Mario Nenadic.
The procurement of ECG devices is part of the support for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in BiH, for which the Kingdom of Norway has allocated NOK 7.5 million (around BAM 1.3 million).
The Kingdom of Norway has among other things so far funded the procurement of protective equipment for medical workers in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, while protective masks and medical equipment will be delivered to the Institute of Public Health of the Republika Srpska next week. The Kingdom of Norway also provided funds for the procurement of six ventilators for clinical facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On March 26, the Norwegian Embassy in Sarajevo and UNDP signed an agreement on response to the coronavirus pandemic through which the necessary equipment and supplies are being procured. As part of the United Nations efforts in BiH, UNDP has been intensively working to support the relevant domestic institutions through coordination of assistance and provision of necessary resources, since the declaration of the state of emergency.