Today, Justice Minister Nela Kuburović accompanied by Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar attended a new maternity ward opening ceremony at the General Hospital in Čačak, the refurbishment of which had been made possible with “opportunity” funds (based on the principle of opportunity which grants prosecutors’ discretion not to prosecute non-opportune cases). Their official visit also included a visit to the hospital’s new angio-room.
Minister Kuburović said that the citizens of Čačak - which was marking its Day - could be proud of the state-of-the-art angio-room and the maternity ward. “The largest portion of the funding for the ward’s refurbishment came from the “opportunity” grant. I must admit that I am most proud of this project and I believe that the staff of the maternity ward will be busier now than ever”, Kuburović declared.
She highlighted that the Ministry of Justice had entirely kept the promise which had been made at the beginning of the year by the then Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić that 2017 would see the largest investments in the health system. Most of the total of 350 million in “opportunity” grants allocated based on this year’s call went to the health sector.
Kuburović added that the largest sum had been allocated for the refurbishment of the maternity ward in Čačak, although 17 other health institutes had also received funding for, amongst others, standard and special ambulance vehicles equipped for transporting prematurely born infants.
The Justice Minister announced that a new call for the awarding of “opportunity” funds would be announced at the start of 2018, adding that significantly higher grants would be allocated to the health, education, culture and other sectors. “One example of this year’s investment in culture is the acquisition of a new concert piano for the Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment after 20 years”, Kuburović stressed.
Minister Lončar said that, with the opening of the ward with a new delivery room the Čačak Day could not have gone better because that was the most important investment in the health sector, i.e. ensuring that more children were born. He said that the new maternity ward could facilitate the delivery of its first baby as early as 10 January. He described the ward as a space which fully respected the dignity of its patients and employees. “The refurbished maternity ward covers nearly 900 square meters. It has eight rooms and one apartment. Three to four deliveries take place daily”, Director of the Čačak General Hospital Radoslav Milošević said, thanking the two ministers for the large investment in the city’s health.
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