Primary Health Care Centre in Bor received a vehicle for the visiting nurses to visit families with children

Today, the visiting nurse service at the Primary Health Care Centre in Bor received a vehicle that will enable the visiting nurses to regularly visit families with children in Bor and the surrounding area. The vehicle, a Ford Fiesta, was secured from dm’s donation to UNICEF to support the equipping and strengthening of the visiting nurse service in our country. The Primary Health Care Centre in Kragujevac has previously received such a vehicle.

“Family visits are at the heart of the visiting nurse service. The natural environment of visits allows a greater involvement of family members and the openness of the family in expressing their needs. In their own home, family members have a sense of greater control and impact on their own health, which contributes to their motivation to accept and apply the advice and build a partnership with the health care professional, the visiting nurse. For years now, UNICEF has been the friend of the visiting nurse service in Serbia and the main support if we are talking about professional development and introduction of the latest, evidence-based approaches and methods of working with families into practice. We are sincerely grateful for the donation provided by UNICEF in partnership with dm, which will enable our support to reach every pregnant woman, mother, father and baby even in the most remote parts of the Bor region”, said Snezana Milutinovic, head nurse of the visiting nurse service of the Primary Health Care Centre in Bor.

UNICEF and dm joined forces to support the work of the visiting nurse service, because every family in Serbia has the right to the support of a visiting nurse.

“Parents have undivided trust in the expertise and knowledge of visiting nurses, and they readily accept and apply their advice. The course and outcomes of the child’s development will depend on how well the parent is supported to show the child love, provide comfort and warmth, emotional support, take care of the child’s health, create learning opportunities through joint play and daily activities. That is why timely, high-quality, focused support of the visiting nurse to parents is precious and we would like to thank dm for recognizing that investing in the visiting nurse service and the health care sector is in the best interest of parents and our youngest fellow citizens”, said Mila Jovanovic-Vukovic from UNICEF Serbia.

Every family in Serbia has the right to one visit during pregnancy, 5 visits during the newborn period, two during the infant period, and one each at the child’s ages of 2 and 4.

“We are very pleased that, in cooperation with UNICEF, we supported the work of the visiting nurse service in Serbia with another donation. As a company, we recognize the importance of the role of visiting nurses in the early and sensitive stages of life, and that every family deserves support in such circumstances. This donation will provide parents in Bor and the surrounding area with the necessary help and support in key moments, to make their first days of parenthood easier and more beautiful. We at dm believe that a stable and healthy family is the foundation of every society, and that is why we are always happy to support initiatives like this”, pointed out Svetlana Jovanovic Mitic, Department Manager of Marketing and Communications in dm Serbia and North Macedonia.

The development of the visiting nurse service is part of the strategic determination and National Programmes of the Ministry of Health adopted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

“Serbia has a well-established, high-quality network of the polyvalent visiting nurse service at the level of the primary health care system. This service deals only with preventive health care and is available for every newborn and family with a child, while vulnerable families can receive additional visits. The visiting nurse service works with other institutions in the community and therefore plays an important role in reducing social inequalities, and the Ministry of Health is committed to improving the accessibility and quality of services for all citizens. Taking care of the health of the entire family, including the mental health of children and parents, is the priority of the Ministry and we are very pleased that together with UNICEF we launched the Caring for the Caregiver programme”, said Dr Goran Makuncevic, State Secretary in the Ministry of Health.

In our country, around 125,000 mothers and fathers become parents every year, shaping the lives and futures of their children. For parents to be ready to be the best support for their children, they need to receive the systemic support of society, and visiting nurses play an important role in the life of every family even before the baby is born.

“It is necessary for visiting nurses to come to every home with a baby and this is a relief for parents, particularly in the early days. We have established parenting schools in Bor to support parents, knowing that only a supported parent can provide their child with the conditions for optimal development. That is why the vehicle for family visits is a natural continuation of our care for all children in our region and we are sincerely grateful for all the support we have received”, said Aleksandar Milikic, the Mayor of Bor.

The company dm donated a total of 5,860,500 dinars to UNICEF for the procurement of two vehicles for family visits so that visiting nurses can reach the most remote areas in Bor and Kragujevac, and reach every pregnant woman, mother, father and baby.