Health institutions received over 300.000 euros in cash

About one million euros is the value of the equipment, materials, devices and medicines that Montenegrin health institutions received during 2018.

The Ministry of Health responded to the "News" that last year health institutions received equipment worth about 630.000 euros, non-medical materials in the amount of 26.550,86, as well as consumables that cost 59.023,50 euros.

Medicines in the amount of 15.835 euros were donated to hospitals, health centers, the Clinical Center (KC) and other institutions, while construction works cost various donors 247.731 euros.

126.309 euros were spent on other donations, while health institutions received an additional 300.341 euros in money.

According to data from the Ministry, the total value of all donations in 2018 is 1.405.114 euros.

The report of that department, headed by Kenan Hrapović, showed that last year 255 donation contracts were signed with various companies or individuals.

More than half, 142 to be exact, concluded KC.

The director of that institution, Jevto Eraković, previously said in an interview with "Vijesta" that in five months of 2018, they received slightly more than 430.000 euros in donations.

The Ministry's data shows that last year, health centers in Andrijevica, Bijelo Polje, Kolašin, Mojkovac, Plav, Rožaje, as well as the Institute for Public Health and the Special Hospital for Psychiatry "Dobrota" did not receive any donations.

After KC, the hospitals in Bar and Cetinje had the most donations, 19 and 17 respectively.

In the report on donations from last year, it is written that in December 2018, there were a total of 8.186 employees in the health system. The KC has the largest number of employees, 2.569, while the Podgorica health center, which employs 540 citizens, is in second place in terms of number of employees.

Last year, a total of 2.239 medical and non-medical workers attended professional training. Only in the Andrijevac Health Center were there no workers who received training in 2018.

KC leads the way in terms of the number of employees who received training, while in second place is the Health Center in Beran with 372 employees who attended training. Last year, the Danilovgrad Health Center and Risan Special Hospital each had four employees who were training.

According to the report, public institutions financed professional education for 1.779 employees.

The education of 460 employees in the health system last year was paid for by private, medical and pharmaceutical companies.

The 2018 annual plan shows that medical facilities often require medical equipment, including EKG machines, inhalers, ultrasound and X-ray machines, incubators, operating or gynecological tables.

Construction works are also wanted, more precisely reconstruction of certain departments... Last year, health institutions expressed their desire to receive computers, bed linen, blankets, air conditioners, televisions, and things for the youngest patients...

That the equipment is no longer stored

At the end of 2017, the Ministry prescribed the conditions under which institutions can receive donations. By January 31, all health institutions are obliged to submit an annual plan of needs for donations, that is, sponsorships, as well as to submit concluded contracts on a monthly basis.

For all donations beyond the plan, hospitals request the consent of the Ministry.

Previously, this area was unregulated, so it happened that health institutions received equipment for procedures that are not used in that place, so the donation was stored.

So, for example, the Health Center in Rožaje was the owner of a modern diagnostic device (hysteroscope) in gynecology for many years, although hysteroscopy is not performed at the primary level of health care.