After Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) officially signed the Agreement on joining the EU4Health Program on July 23rd, the country gained the opportunity to enhance its healthcare system and make significant progress in this sector. This agreement allows BiH to access financial resources amounting to 5.3 billion euros, approved by the European Union (EU) for the period from 2021 to 2027. This is the largest financial allocation compared to all previous cycles of EU health programs. We investigated how these funds will be utilized and to what extent citizens can expect improved healthcare services, particularly in terms of disease prevention and treatment efficiency.
Prevention is the main focus of the program
The main focus of the EU4Health program is disease prevention, aimed at promoting public health and preventing diseases such as cancer.
“It is planned that the process of establishing a preventive healthcare system in BiH will be directed based on proposals from relevant authorities, in cooperation with colleagues from the EU. Since BiH is just beginning to access EU funds within the EU4Health program, it is crucial for the authorities to thoroughly analyze the state of healthcare in the country, including evaluating existing infrastructure, assessing service delivery mechanisms, identifying service gaps, and understanding needs,” explained EU representatives.
Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH: “Strengthening the healthcare system for the benefit of citizens”
“It is necessary to develop project proposals to address specific healthcare challenges in the country, in line with the goals of the EU4Health program, which will maximize the potential benefits of EU financial resources and strengthen the country’s healthcare system for the benefit of its citizens,” stated the EU.
Given that the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH is directly involved in this project, we inquired how they plan to improve healthcare services for citizens, especially in terms of prevention, to fully utilize the benefits offered by this project.
“To protect individuals in vulnerable situations, including those suffering from mental illnesses and those affected by infectious or non-infectious diseases and chronic conditions, the program should promote actions aimed at addressing and preventing the collateral effects of health crises on such vulnerable groups and actions that improve mental health,” stated the relevant state ministry.
In addition to prevention, EU4Health plans other activities
It is important to emphasize that the EU4Health program plans additional activities which, alongside health promotion and disease prevention, are grouped into three more categories: crisis preparedness, digital health, and health systems and workforce.
When it comes to the EU4Health program, it is important to highlight that during the signing of the Agreement in Brussels, the Minister of Civil Affairs of BiH, Dubravka Bosnjak, stated that this is a significant opportunity for the authorities in BiH to modernize and enhance the healthcare system, bringing it closer to European standards.
“Access to European funds and resources will enable us to respond more quickly to health challenges, improve the quality of healthcare services, and ensure better healthcare conditions for everyone in BiH. Joining the Program is not just about funding. It is about strengthening cooperation and sharing best practices with other EU member states, and it is very important to involve as many healthcare institutions as possible to achieve the greatest success in utilizing the opportunities offered by the Program,” Bosnjak said on that occasion.
In light of these statements and promises, it is hoped that citizens waiting for preventive check-ups will receive the necessary referrals and appointments as soon as possible, thus preventing the onset of symptoms and the progression of diseases, N1 writes.
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