After two years of agony that the whole world was going through, there was a period of calm when everyone relievedfrom the coronavirus pandemic, but it seems to be flaring up again. There is no rest at the Institute for Public Health (ZZJZZ) of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) because it seems that a new, sixth wave of the pandemic has begun and they are not leaving anything to chance. As they point out, they also used the break to review the situation, determine what was done well in the past two years, and what could be improved.
Doctor Sinisa Skocibusic, director of the Institute of Public Health of the FBiH, said in an interview with agency Fena that it was undeniable that the health system functioned throughout the pandemic, following all the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other relevant public health institutions. Behind everything, he stated, there was also a valuable legacy in the form of new medical equipment, evenly distributed to all healthcare institutions in the entire Federation, and Dr. Skocibusic also announces new investments.
“Currently, the distribution of more than 300 high-quality refrigerators and several electricity generators for high-quality and stable storage of vaccines in every health center, hospital and institution in the FBiH is underway. We are continuing to improve the temperature monitoring system at all locations along with other consumables. After 1997, we renewed the system in accordance with modern principles of effective vaccine management in cooperation with UNICEF and other donors,” stated Dr. Skocibusic.
In order for them to reach the end user, special preparations are needed and, as he says, strict care is also taken in their transportation.
“In order to manage vaccines, a special regime is needed, which is the so-called cold chain. There is a certain discrepancy between the Law on Medicines of BiH and the Law on Health Care of FBiH. In the law at the level of BiH, it is determined that distribution is carried out by wholesalers through their drugstores, and in the federal law, distribution is defined through the role of the Federal and Cantonal Institutes, and we do it in the only possible way. We manage the vaccines through the Department for Immunization within the Epidemiology Service, and the ZZJZ does not make any profit from it. We provided free vaccines to the citizens, while pharmacies would justifiably be engaged in commercial business,” added Dr. Skocibusic.
The Institute for Public Health of the FBiH for the transport of vaccines has two certified VW Caddy vehicles with a special cooling area that is mapped and calibrated every year, in order to maintain the required temperature. The ZZJZ of the FBiH expect that they will soon receive two more new cars for this purpose.
“Transportation is carried out exclusively under the supervision of a company accredited by the Institute of Metrology. Every minute is monitored, from the moment of entry into BiH, when the vaccines arrive by refrigerator either at the border crossing or by plane, until distribution to the central warehouse in Mostar and from there to the vaccine place. It is a cold chain monitoring system. During their journey, the temperature is measured all the time, because it is a delicate product that we maintain in the best quality so that the people who receive it will have the best result. An expert conclusion on this transport was also given by the Expert Council of the Medicines Agency of BiH under the conditions of the pandemic,” says the director of the Institute for Public Health of the Federation of BiH, Dr. Sinisa Skocibusic, BHRT writes.
E.Dz.
