Additional training in community nursing started in Bihac for 23 nurses from eight primary health care centers in Una-Sana Canton: Bihac, Sanski Most, Bosanski Petrovac, Kljuc, Velika Kladusa, Cazin, Bosanska Krupa and Buzim. This training is part of the long-term efforts of Fami Foundation to improve the quality and accessibility of nursing care to patients in their homes and communities through continuous support and professional empowerment of health professionals.

The training was provided by the Educational Center of the Primary Health Care Center Bihac, which has been an important partner of Fami Foundation in the process of professional development of nurses for years. Thanks to this cooperation, a community nursing model is gradually developing in Una-Sana Canton, contributing to better integration of health and social services, especially for the elderly, chronically ill and other vulnerable groups of the population.

This activity is part of a broader support to the development of community nursing, through a number of complementary measures that include:
• Donation of community nursing equipment to trained nurses,
• Development and implementation of action plans for the improvement of community nursing,
• Strengthening cooperation between the health and social sectors for the provision of integrated support to beneficiaries.

At the beginning of the training, the participants were addressed by Minka Hadrovic, expert associate for nursing at the Federal Ministry of Health, Amra Felic, Head Nurse of the Primary Health Care Center Bihac and Alisa Mahmutagic, Assistant to the Mayor of Bihac. In their addressing the participants, they emphasized the importance of nurses’ continuous education as a key factor in improving the quality of nursing care, and emphasized that investing in workforce is the most important step towards strengthening the primary health care system.

Through the additional training program, nurses acquired new knowledge and practical skills that will enable them to better respond to the needs of patients in local communities, while at the same time developing the ability to work in teams and cooperate with other professionals in the field of health and social care.

The activities carried out by Fami Foundation in Una-Sana Canton are part of the Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina project supported by the Government of Switzerland, and implemented in partnership with the entity ministries of health. The project goal is to contribute to the creation of a sustainable and quality community nursing system, accessible to everyone, especially those in the greatest need.