A multi-million investment in healthcare in Budva will bring better quality and accessibility of services for citizens and tourists, said Health Minister Vojislav Šimun at the opening of the renovated unit of the Emergency Medical Service.
The Ministry of Health announced that the value of the works is around 240 thousand euros.
Šimun, it is added, also visited the works at the Budva Health Center (DZ), after which he spoke with the mayor, Nikola Jovanović, about investments and cooperation between the local government and the health system in preparation for the tourist season.
It is stated that Šimun expressed satisfaction with the new values that the health service in Budva is gaining through a million-dollar investment, projects that have been completed, those that are ongoing, as well as those whose implementation is certain in the foreseeable future.
"Regarding the DZ specifically, I have verified that the first floor reconstruction project, which is financed from the capital budget and is worth around 1,1 million euros, is proceeding according to plan," added Šimun.
He stated that the deadline for the completion of the works is a year, and, as he added, the citizens of Budva will receive new values and a much higher quality of healthcare with the renovated segment of the DZ, which has an area of about a thousand square meters.
Šimun said that as part of this project, a new epidemiological service is planned, as well as an internal medicine and gynecology service, a mental health center, but also certain other specialties such as occupational medicine, ophthalmology and dermatovenerology.
As a metropolis of tourism and a city that is particularly burdened during the season, the expectations are, as stated, that investments in the Budva Health Center will increase the capacity for patient care, as well as the satisfaction of healthcare workers engaged in that institution.
Šimun recalled that a modern microbiology laboratory, worth around 300 thousand euros, was opened at the DZ last year, funded by the European Union.
He, it is added, specifically referred to the investments and the attitude of the local government towards health institutions in the territory of the municipality of Budva.
"In quality cooperation with the local government, two ambulances were allocated, or rather, purchased by the Budva municipality, worth around 100 thousand euros, and we must also inform the citizens of Budva that the local government is planning to soon purchase a digital 3D mammogram, worth around 130 thousand euros," added Šimun.
He also announced new projects, which, as announced, primarily relate to the establishment of a biochemical laboratory, as well as a physical medicine department.
Šimun emphasized that the project for the physical medicine departments has been completed and, as added, expressed the expectation that it will be included in the capital budget for next year.
"So, this year alone, the state is practically investing around one million and 400 thousand euros in the Budva healthcare system, DZ and emergency medical care," said Šimun.
He added that thanks to the local government, that amount has reached almost two million euros.
"Which is practically three to four times more than what was invested in the previous five years," concluded Šimun.
The Director of the Budva Public Health Center, Blažo Radoman, thanked Šimun, as well as the local authorities, for their support, which is reflected in the multi-million investment in the institution he manages, which will ultimately have a better, higher quality and more accessible service for both citizens and tourists.
He said that tourists will choose Budva, among other things, as a destination that stands out for the quality of healthcare.
Radoman said that in the last few years, the Municipality of Budva has been recognized as a municipality that places emphasis on healthcare, which is aware of what its quality means, not only for the citizens of Budva, but also for tourists.
"Other local governments can follow the example of the Municipality of Budva. This is an example of what the relationship between healthcare and local authorities should look like throughout Montenegro," concluded Radoman.
During the conversation with Jovanović, Šimun thanked him for his dedicated attitude towards health institutions and investments for which the Municipality has allocated significant funds.
It is stated that the meeting specifically discussed the engagement during the opening of tourist clinics during the summer season, which require additional engagement of both medical staff and infrastructure.
Jovanović informed the minister that this year the municipality has allocated 30 percent more funds for the opening of tourist clinics and that instead of the previous approximately 150 thousand euros, this year the figure is approximately 200 thousand.
It is added that the interlocutors also discussed the construction of an inpatient facility within the DZ, which would have a certain number of beds for patients.
It is stated that Šimun particularly thanked Jovanović for his willingness to hand over a certain number of housing units owned by the municipality to doctors who will be employed in this city during the season.
Šimun also announced the possibility of cooperation through the allocation of a plot for the construction of housing units for doctors and medical staff in cooperation with the local government and the "Zdravstvo" housing cooperative.
Jovanović, it was added, thanked Šimun for the visit and praised the efforts to improve healthcare in Budva.
He said that the Municipality of Budva will always be happy to allocate funds from the citizens' budget to invest a portion in the healthcare system.
"Because we believe that investing in healthcare is also investing in tourism and improving the quality of life of all our citizens, and that, although perhaps not primary, it is certainly one of the more important obligations of our local government," said Jovanović.
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