Duration: 24 months, from April 2023 to
April 2025
EU-funded
twinning project implemented by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
(THL) together with the Public Health Institute of Serbia “Dr Milan Jovanović
Batut”. The Ministry of Health of Serbia is the Beneficiary Administration of
the project.
EU donation: 1,000,000 euros
Strengthening
and harmonizing the laboratory capacities of the Republic of Serbia’s network
of institutes of public health (IPH) and national reference laboratories (NRL) ss
the central element for improving the system of communicable disease
surveillance and outbreak investigation across the country. Well performing
health laboratories constitute an engine of the communicable disease
surveillance and response machinery through providing timely, reliable and
complete data to inform prompt, relevant, appropriate and effective prevention
and control measures by the public health authorities, including close
cooperation and communication with the epidemiology services.
The
capacity building in the project will move in four directions: training;
laboratory work strengthening; improving the IT communications infrastructure
and data flow; and enhancing leadership, coordination, management and
networking of all key frontline players of the communicable disease
surveillance and response system through updated and harmonized guidelines,
procedures and quality standards.
Successful
implementation of the project will eventually contribute to:
1)
strengthening of the Republic of Serbia’s institutional capacities and
legislative framework for fulfilling the requirements of the EU membership in
the area of public health,
2)
effective participation of the Republic of Serbia in the EU communicable
disease surveillance networks,
3)
reduction of the risks of serious cross-border health threats, which is the
overall objective of the project.