Protective equipment donated to community nurses. 

The importance of the services provided by nurses became more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic than ever before. Community nurses continue to provide services to their patients in their homes, notably the most vulnerable patients. In order to continue working at full capacity during the current crisis, the nurses need adequate protection because each home visit requires the use of a new set of equipment. 

ProSes provided 64,225 KM worth of one-time donation in protective equipment for nearly 300 community nurses in 16 health centers in which the Project operated: Banja Luka, Bijeljina, Brcko, Doboj, Derventa, Livno, Mostar, Odzak, Stari Grad Mostar, Orasje, Prijedor, Prnjavor, Tomislavgrad, Tuzla, Zenica and Vitez. The protective equipment package includes: protective gown, head cap, gloves, masks, footwear protection, and hand sanitizers. In addition, the project is delivering protective face shields produced free of charge by the University of Zenica (with the support of USAID's „Bosnia and Herzegovina Resilience Initiative (BHRI)“  program implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM)).

Despite the efforts and contributions of the relevant institutions, there is a need for additional protective equipment. Each home visit requires the use of a new set of equipment to prevent the potential transmission of the virus from one household to another or into the health care center. Adequate protection of nurses prevents the possibility of their infection, which could result in a decrease in health workers available for meeting the needs of the population.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a new experience for healthcare professionals. Therefore, community nurses will be provided with the education through video materials and online training. Psychological support is also going to be provided to those in need in coordination with the Mental Health Project.