At the beginning of August, five containers for screening patients for COVID-19 were handed over to healthcare facilities in Bihać and Velika Kladuša, in the North-West of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Cantonal Hospital in Bihać received three containers, while the Primary Health Care Clinics of Bihać and Velika Kladuša received one container each.

This donation will help the healthcare system in Bihać and Velika Kladuša better screen and triage persons accessing these facilities, ultimately contributing to preventing the spread of COVID-19 among the citizens of Una Sana Canton. The containers were provided by the EU-funded project on “Addressing COVID-19 challenges within the migrant and refugee response in the Western Balkans”. The project aims to support Western Balkan partners to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on mobility as well as migration governance. The project recognises the impact of the pandemic not only on migrants and refugees, but also on the healthcare systems of the communities hosting reception centres.

The project has so far provided around 260,000 pieces of personal protective equipment and over 11,000 litres of disinfectant to border and migration management authorities across the region. It has helped over 12,000 workers in daily contact with travellers, migrants and asylum seekers, and contributed to containing COVID-19 infections among over 20,000 people on the move.