Being a nurse-technician is not a job but a way of life, because every patient needs a hero.
The start of the additional training program in family medicine (PAT) for the school year 2024/2025 was officially announced.
Hope, support, learning, strength, experience, fellowship, trust, solution, safety. These are just some of the words nurses used to describe their experiences during the final evaluation of "Introducing Supervision into the Health Care System at the University Clinical Center of Republika Srpska".
A workshop for representatives of seven local
communities: Celinac, Knezevo, Mrkonjic Grad, Kotor Varos, Sipovo, Istocni Drvar and Ribnik where the community nursing model in Republika Srpska was improved during the previous year, was held in Mrkonjic Grad.
A multi-day training "Management and Communication in Healthcare" was held in Grude.
Thanks to the cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zenica –
Nursing Study Department we organized a two-day education in palliative care.
Today we started additional education for, so far, the largest group of 32 community nurses from nine primary health care centers in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.
A second working meeting with representatives of the Ljubuski, Posusje, Grude and Siroki Brijeg primary health care centers was held in Grude.
Community Nursing in Sarajevo Canton and Bosansko-Podrinjski Canton Gorazde has been reinforced with 25 new qualified community nurses.
In order to ensure continuous provision of health care for those who need it the most, the Federal Ministry of Health and Fami Foundation jointly donated the necessary equipment for Jablanica Primary Health Care Center.
The first Registry of health workers with secondary and higher education in the
field of nursing was presented today in Banja Luka as a unique information system of the nursing workforce in Republika Srpska.
Ministry of Health of Canton Sarajevo hosted today a meeting at which Canton Sarajevo
Public Health Institute presented a plan to improve community nursing in Canton
Sarajevo, developed with the support of Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and
Herzegovina project.
A four-day education "Management and Communication in Healthcare" organized by
the Federal Ministry of Health and Fami Foundation was held in Sarajevo,
September 12 - 16, 2024.
International Nurses Day 2024 - Key findings from the accompanying report of the International Council of Nurses.
On 4 September 2024 representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Fami
Foundation held a constructive meeting in Tuzla with representatives of the key institutions of the Tuzla Canton.
Another workshop for strengthening the managerial and leadership skills of nurses,
which lasted from 28 August to 1 September 2024, was successfully completed in Jahorina.
Primary Health Care Center Kostajnica received a valuable donation in the form of computer equipment, furniture, medical equipment and fully equipped medical bags.
Fami Foundation, using the funds the Swiss Government granted to Strengthening
Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina project, provided and donated teaching
equipment for primary health care centers in Grude, Siroki Brijeg and Ljubuski.
The Embassy of Switzerland in Bosnia and
Herzegovina celebrated the National Day of Switzerland. This year, Switzerland
celebrates its 733rd birthday.
The Book of Professional Competences in Nursing was presented to PHCC Dom zdravlja Prnjavor, PHCC Dom zdravlja Doboj and PHCC Dom zdravlja Teslic.
Representatives of Gradiska town, Kozarska Dubica, Kostajnica and Novi Grad municipalities, as well as the directors of primary health care centers and social work centers in these places signed mutual cooperation agreements to improve the provision of community
nursing services.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska, Fami Foundation organized three half-day practical workshops on wound treatment for eight primary health care centers from Republika Srpska.
Workshop on creating health promotion programs specific to local communities attended by community nurses working in these communities was the last in theoretical part
of this training that ended on 19 June 2024.
At the meeting hosted by Bijeljina Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) it was agreed to include this health institution in piloting of the Book of Professional Competencies in Nursing Care.
Representatives of Fami Foundation attended the
first joint meeting of partners in the new project "Transcultural Competences in the Western Balkans (TCCWB)" in Zenica. The project is
financed by the European Union.
The Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly (WHA) took place in Geneva, Switzerland,
on 27 May – 1 June 2024. The theme of this year’s Health Assembly was: All for Health, Health for All.
The Community Nursing department was officially opened at the Vares Primary Health Care Center on May 30, 2024.
A draft local plan for improvement of community
nursing in eight municipalities of Zenica-Doboj Canton was presented on 29th May 2024 in Zenica.
The thematic meeting in Banja Luka served as a platform for constructive dialogue and exchange of ideas aiming to improve the situation in nursing and midwifery in the region and beyond.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska,
Strengthening Nursing in BiH project continues to support theoretical and practical additional trainings for nurses from primary health care centers in Republika Srpska.
Zenica-Doboj Canton is richer for additional 24 qualified community nurses.
Additional training in community nursing for 19 family medicine nurses from four primary health
care centers: Grude, Posusje, Siroki Brijeg and Ljubuski.
Climate change is currently considered the biggest threat to human health and its
negative consequences are already visible in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Fami Foundation, in cooperation with the
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska and the Federal Ministry of Health, organized a conference in Neum on the occasion of the International Nurses Day celebrated
on May 12.
The first working meeting was held in Grude with
representatives of the Primary Health Care Centers Ljubuski, Posusje, Grude and
Siroki Brijeg.
A draft of the local implementation plan for
improvement of community nursing in Bosni-Podrinje Canton (BPC) Gorazde was presented in Gorazde.
A two-day additional training for nurses in palliative care in Republika Srpska was held
in Mrkonjic Grad from April 5 to 6, 2024.
The West Herzegovina Canton is the fourth canton where we will be working on improvement of community nursing this year.
International Cooperation Agreement between Fami Foundation and the Nurses and Midwifes Associations of Slovenia was signed, with the goal to strengthen and develop nursing profession
in the region.
The book "Basics of Nursing Care" by
Ivona Ljevak and associates was promoted on March 22, 2024 at the Nursing
Faculty of the University of Mostar.
In cooperation with Federal Ministry of Health and Training Center of Primary Health Care Center Mostar, Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina project organized additional training of mentors in community nursing.
Some of the key results of Strengthening Nursing
in Bosnia and Herzegovina project were presented at the 3rd International HISPA
Congress in Bijeljina.
Based on signed Memoranda of Understanding for the improvement of community nursing
services provision, primary health care centers in Gradiska, Kozarska Dubica, Kostajnica and Novi Grad will receive the necessary support, that is, furniture for nursing rooms, community nursing bags and training.
Theoretical part of the addition training in
community nursing for 26 participants from Canton Sarajevo and the Bosnia-Podrinje
Canton was launched on 6th February 2024.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Fami Foundation and the Ministry of Health
of the Zenica-Doboj Canton was signed on January 15, 2024 in Zenica, as a part of the Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina Project.
In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Zenica Primary Health Care Center (PHCC), as part of the Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina project, theoretical part of additional training in community nursing was completed.
Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina project continues its activities to improve community nursing, this time in
Sarajevo Canton and Bosnia-Podrinje Canton.
The second meeting of representatives of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska, management of primary health care centers, centers for social work, local authorities and the Fami Foundation.
A panel discussion was held at the Faculty of
Medicine Foca, to point out the importance of nursing associations in exercising professional and patient rights.
Additional training for nurses from 10 primary health care centers in Zenica-Doboj Canton officially started at the Training Center
of the Primary Health Care Center Zenica.
Representatives of the local authorities from
Doboj, Derventa, Prnjavor and Teslic signed Memorandums of Understanding for
Improvement of Community Nursing Services with the directors of primary health
care centers and social welfare center.
Training "Communication in Healthcare"
for Head Nurses of Primary Health Care Center Canton Sarajevo, organized by Fami Foundation and the Federal Ministry of Health, was held in Sarajevo from 9 -12 November, 2023.
The second part of the five-day additional
training in community nursing, supported by the Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina project, was successfully completed in Mrkonjic Grad.
Three groups of community nurses from Celinac,
MrkonjiC Grad and Knezevo municipalities took part in a workshop on the development of health promotion programs specific to their local communities.
An action plan for community nursing improvement in 10 municipalities of Zenica–Doboj Canton was presented at the round table
organized at the Training Center of Primary Health Care Center Zenica.
Primary Health Care Center Celinac hosted the
first five-day part of supplementary training in community nursing supported by the Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina project.
Yet another training "Development of
management skills in nursing", organized jointly by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska and the Fami Foundation was held in Jahorina.
From August 31 to September 3, 2023 in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska, four-day training on "Development of Management
Skills in Nursing" was held in Borje, near Teslic.
The Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and
Herzegovina project up to now, jointly with its
partners, implemented a number of activities that are directly related to the development of the book of professional competencies in nursing.
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika
Srpska, with the project’s support, organized in Primary Health Care Center Celinac the first out of three planned workshops for representatives of three municipalities in Republika Srpska: Celinac, Mrkonjic Grad and Knezevo.
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of
Republika Srpska, with the support of the project representatives, organized training for nurses from Nevesinje and Trebinje hospitals, as well as primary health care centers Trebinje, Nevesinje and Gacko.
The four-day training "Communication in Healthcare" for nurses, organized in Tomislavgrad as part of the Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina project, was successfully
completed.
From June 1-4, 2023 in cooperation with the
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska, four-day training on "Development of Management Skills in Nursing" was held at "Sveti
Vracevi" Hospital in Bijeljina.
Another one in a series of training sessions "Communication in Healthcare" for head nurses of primary health care centers in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was successfully held in Sarajevo, May 14-17, 2023, as a part of the Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina project.
The main event marking May 12th, the International Nurses Day organized
by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska was held Trebinje.
May 12 - International Nurses Day was commemorated at the conference organized in
Sarajevo which brought together nurses, representatives of relevant ministries
and managers of health care facilities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and representatives of Fami Foundation.
In the coming four years, the ProSes project will establish cooperation with 20 new municipalities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to
support their efforts to introduce/improve community nursing services.
The Strengthening Nursing in BiH project will continue, within Component B, activities on the expansion of the improved model of community nursing in new 13 municipalities in
Republika Srpska.
The last round of scholarships for nursing students from underdeveloped and
extremely underdeveloped municipalities ended this year with the awarding of
scholarships to 8 nurses.
In the period from 14-16 October 2022 a three-day conference titled “Nursing: One profession, many roles” took place in Sarajevo, to present project results and achievements so far.
Communication is one of the basic skills in
healthcare, which today has become not only a need but also an obligation of every healthcare worker.
The sixth round of scholarships for master’s and doctoral studies in nursing ended this year with the awarding of scholarships to 9 nurses.
The International Scientific Conference Knowledge for Health - SANUS
2022 held in Prijedor on June 3 and 4, was organized by the School of Applied
Medical Sciences Prijedor in cooperation with the Academy of Applied Studies in
Belgrade.
On May 12, the International Nurses Day, the Handbooks with Standard Operating Procedures
(SOP) for nursing were presented in Brcko, in the House of Culture. The event was organized with the support of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska, Federal Ministry of Health, Department of Health and other
services of the Brcko District Government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
At the session held on 10 February 2022 the Government of the Republika Srpska was
acquainted with and adopted the information on the development of the transition plan for adjusting qualifications of the employees to job
requirements in the health sector.
At the session held on 10 February 2022 the Government of the Republika Srpska has
been acquainted and adopted the
information on the development of
nursing workforce information system.
The Strengthening Nursing in BiH project continues to organize additional community nursing trainings for community nurses. Currently, after trainings held in Primary Health Care Centers (PHCC) Zenica, Vitez, Derventa,
Prnjavor, Tesanj, Gracanica, Doboj and Teslic, the trainings for 29 nurses from the PHCCs Bihac and Trebinje are in progress.
The fifth round of scholarships for master’s and
doctoral studies in nursing ended this year with the awarding of scholarships to 26 nurses.
Modern and active learning methods form an important part in the education of nursing
students. They encourage the development of communication and critical thinking skills, and ensure the safe health care of patients.
Diabetes and its complications represent an increasing global challenge. „Management of
Diabetic Foot: ICRC Implementation Plan“ has been created to help clinical teams in the field to organize care for diabetic patients at primary health care/hospital and or physical
rehabilitation level.
In order to adequately care for the health of citizens belonging to their family medicine teams, nurses need comprehensive training in community nursing.
It is widely believed that health promotion is a
cornerstone of primary health care, and that it is at the same time an essential role of
public health.
Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina - ProSes Project and the Nurses and Midwives Association of Slovenia as a nursing regulatory body, organized a working visit
to the Republic of Slovenia in the period 22-26 June 2021.
Due to the great interest and need, additional training round was organized for clinical skills mentors at nursing studies.
On May 12, we celebrated the International Nurses Day throughout BiH, with the message: “Save one life and you are a hero. Save a hundred lives - you must be a nurse“.
We asked the users of ProSes scholarships to share with us their experience of studying for master and doctoral degrees and their expectations regarding the development of the nursing profession in BIH.
Continuous professional development is essential to maintain and improve individual competencies and nurse practice in general. Nurse associations play an important role in this providing to nurses the opportunities for professional development.
We have asked nurses to share with us their experience of being and working as a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are
their stories.
Early recognition of cardiac arrest and timely initiation of resuscitation can significantly improve the survival rate and outcomes for
the survived patients.
The theoretical part of the training for 19 community nurse from the primary healthcare centres in Derventa and Prnjavor was completed in December 2020.
The last round of scholarships for master’s and
doctoral studies in nursing ended this year with the awarding of scholarships to 20 nurses.
The fifth Steering Committee (SC) meeting in the second phase of the Strengthening Nursing in BiH project was held on November 30, 2020. For the first time, the meeting was held using an internet platform as one of the preventive measures against COVID-19 spread.
The Handbook with standard operating procedures for nurses and technicians at the hospital level developed within the Project of strengthening nursing in BiH, with the
support of the Government of Switzerland,
was presented.
During the COVID 19 pandemic, community nurses have been engaged more than ever before, providing to the patients essential health
care services on the front lines. Concurrently, the importance of adequate personal protective equipment for health workers in their workplace became clear.
Healthcare is always and everywhere the ultimate challenge! Quality primary healthcare for everyone is possible when we share a common goal and when WE PRESS FORWARD together!
Community Nurses supported by the ProSes in BIH have changed the lives of more than
100,000 families in BiH. Nurses are crucial to preventing and managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The project has donated IT equipment to five higher education institutions with master’s study programs in nursing/health sciences in Banjaluka, East Sarajevo, Mostar,
Sarajevo and Zenica.
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.
At the 73rd WHO World Health Assembly held on May 18-19 this year, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) called on member states to take urgent action to collect and share data on COVID-19 infections and deaths amongst
health workers.
International Nurses Day was special this year. The importance and the need to invest in the nursing profession is clearer than ever before, not only in BIH but in the whole world. The
Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina Project congratulated and sent
out the following message to nurses: „Once this is all over, we will remember that you were there
for us all“.
7 April 2020 is the day to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives and remind world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the
world healthy.
In 2019, we granted scholarships to sixteen
nurses attending masters or doctoral studies at the public nursing faculties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
The last, fourth round of mentoring visits for
nurses in primary health care centers in Banja Luka, Bijeljina, Brcko, Livno, Mostar, Stari Grad Mostar, Odzak, Prijedor, Tomislavgrad and Tuzla has been completed.
The second part of the Handbook with Standard Operating Procedures in Primary Health Care for Community Nursing was presented in the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Nursing documentation is an integral part of the
patient medical record and nurses’ daily work.
The European Federation of Nurses Associations
(EFN) that includes 36 member countries, held its 110th General Assembly meeting in October 2019 in Athens (Greece).
Twenty nurses working as mentors at nine public nursing faculties in Bosnia and Herzegovina completed training for clinical mentors. Upon the completion of training, the trainers
received certificates.
The international congress of nurses held in
Singapore from 27 June to 1 July 2019, welcomed more than 5300 nurses from over
150 countries.
The vacancy for selection of members of the
Nurses Advisory Board is closed. The Steering Committee of the Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina project confirmed the following composition of the advisory body.
ProSes representatives participated in the 12th
International Scientific Conference “Challenges and Needs of the Society in the Area of Prevention and Promotion of Health at all Levels of Health Care”, held on June 6 in Bled, Slovenia.
Following the support of ProSes to entity
working groups to develop/amend existing rulebooks on the form and content of the basic medical documentation, the nursing documentation development process has
started.
Clinical mentors – nurses employed at nursing
study departments at BIH public faculties, have an important role in training nursing students to apply practical knowledge and skills with patients.
The International Nurses Day was celebrated on 12 May by BIH nurse associations, health and educational facilities, under the slogan “Nurses: a Voice to Lead – Health for All”.
Within ProSes formed entity Working Groups have finalized the process of aligning second study cycle nursing curricula with EU standards at six higher educational facilities.
The 4th Symposium of Nurses was organized in
Brcko by the Brcko District Nurse Association „Medicinar“ on 15-17 March 2019.
Second meeting of the ProSes Steering Committee in the second phase of the Strengthening Nursing in BIH Project was held in
Banja Luka on 21st March 2019.
Strengthening Nursing in BIH Project continues to support 10 municipalities that have
improved community nursing services during the project’s first phase.
In cooperation with the entity Gender Centers, two workshops on gender and health were organized in February and March 2019.
Within the Nursing Now global campaign, nursing students and nurses in practice for less
than five years, are invited to apply for free training in Geneva.
At the beginning of 2019, additional equipment for clinical skills cabinets for eight public, higher educational institutions in BIH and eight primary health care centers was purchased.
On the occasion of marking the 45th anniversary of the Faculty of Health Studies of the University of Sarajevo, an international conference entitled "Days of Health Science" was held on 19-20
December 2018.
The conference, organized by the Gender Center - Center for Gender Equity and Equality of the Republika Srpska was held in
Banja Luka on 4 December 2018.
The First Symposium of Nurses in the Federation
of Bosnia and Herzegovina took place on 26 – 28 October 2018.
2nd International Conference
on primary health care in Astana, Kazakhstan, October 2018.
Three entity-level working groups devoted to the improvement of formal nursing education have been formed in the first year of project Phase 1.
During the first year of project Phase 2, entity-level working groups are given the task to develop an action plan for the implementation of the recommendations.
During summer 2018, the first meetings of the
three working groups of the project component related to improvement of the professional nurses’ environment were held in both entities.
Professional assistance at work, such as clinical
supervision and mentorship, has invaluable significance in education and practice of community nurses.
Strengthening Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina Project (ProSes) has shared its experience of establishing / strengthening community nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Republic of Moldova.
The ProSes representatives participated at the 11th International Scientific Conference
“Inter-Professional Integration at Different Levels of Healthcare: Trends, Needs and Challenges” held on 7 June 2018 in Bled, Slovenia.
The “Medical Education Reforms-MER” project delegation from Kyrgyzstan visited Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) from 27 May to 1 June 2018.
Within the celebration of the International Nurses Day themed as “Nurses a Voice to Lead – Health is
a Human Right”, a regional conference was held in Hotel Park Doboj on 11 May 2018.
Information on all projects supported by the Government of Switzerland in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found on the website of the Swiss Embassy in BiH.
Twenty nurses from the Healthcare Centre Brcko were presented certificates for successfully completed training in community nursing during a ceremony organized on 6 November 2017.
The results of the Phase 1 of the Strengthening of Nursing in Bosnia and Herzegovina Project were presented at a conference that was held
in Banjaluka from 22 - 23 November 2017.