“EU Support in Migration Management in Serbia - Access to Health Services“

The project funded by the European Union and implemented by the Ministry of Health "EU Support in Migration Management in Serbia - Access to Health Services I" covers all health services provided to the migrant population in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. The project is implemented in the period from December 12, 2019 until July 12, 2021.

The overall goal of the project is to respond to the health needs of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Serbia, through support to national health care authorities. The specific goal refers to the provision of adequate and affordable health services in all centres and in all health institutions at the level of primary, secondary and tertiary health care and efficient response to the needs of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Serbia.

The overall impact of the project is not only enabling the migrant population to have the necessary services and thus contributing to their resilience, but also supporting the government system through various mechanisms to build and improve migration management systems in line with European integration requirements, providing significant sustainable results in the long run. The refugee and migration crisis along the Western Balkan route has put a particularly great pressure on Serbia, and one of the main challenges of the Serbian migration management system has been to provide adequate health care for all migrants and refugees in Serbia.

This project has in particular contributed to: a significant professional workforce that could be recruited as needed; a better adapted migration-sensitive/oriented system for the provision of health services with a special focus on vulnerable groups and increasing their resilience; systems/mechanisms of coordination and exchange of information at national and local level.

The target groups covered by the project are:

1. Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees residing in the territory of the RS in transit reception centres and asylum centres;
2. Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees living in poor living conditions, including those with serious medical conditions;
3. Children of migrants and refugees in need of formal and non-formal education/preschool activities;
4. Irregular migrants, including migrants accommodated in reception canters and those wishing to return voluntarily to their country of origin;
5. Persons with approved refugee status or those who have temporary residence on humanitarian grounds (protected status), or who decide to return home while awaiting return assistance;
6. Victims of human trafficking;
7. Unaccompanied and otherwise vulnerable migrant children (violence, gender-based violence, neglect and abuse);
8. Migrants and refugees staying in reception/asylum canters in Serbia, who need psycho-social counselling.

Healthcare for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees

The migrant population in health care institutions is continuously provided with all health services at all three health care levels (primary, secondary and tertiary level), in the same way as the citizens of the Republic of Serbia.

Health services are provided in 61 health institutions at the following levels:

Primary level health care: Health Centre Bela Palanka, Health Centre Bosilegrad, Health Centre Bujanovac, Health Centre Voždovac, Health Centre Vranje, Health Centre Dimitrovgrad, Health Centre Kanjiža, Health Centre Kikinda, Health Centre Lajkovac, Health Centre Loznica, Health Centre Niš, Health Centre Novi Pazar, Health Centre Novi Sad, Health Centre Obrenovac, Health Centre Palilula, Health Centre Čukarica, Health Centre Pirot, Health Centre Tutin, Health Centre Sjenica, Health Centre Sombor, Health Centre Subotica, Health Centre Užice, Health Centre Sid and Health Centre Preševo.

Secondary level health care: General Hospital Vranje/Health Centre Vranje, General Hospital Kikinda, General Hospital Loznica, General Hospital Novi Pazar, General Hospital Pirot, General Hospital Sombor, General Hospital Sremska Mitrovica, General Hospital Subotica, Special Hospital for Neurological and Posttraumatic Conditions Dr Borivoje Gnjatić Stari Slankamen, Special Hospital for Psychiatric Diseases Gornja Toponica Niš, Special Hospital for Psychiatric Diseases Kovin, Special Hospital for Rehabilitation Banja Koviljača, Special Hospital for Pulmonary Diseases Ozren, Special Hospital for Pulmonary Diseases Surdulica, Clinic for Psychiatric Diseases Dr Laza Lazarević, Clinic for Rehabilitation Zotović, City Institute for Urgent Medical Aid – Belgrade and City Institute for Urgent Medical Aid – Novi Sad.

Tertiary level health care: Clinical Centre of Serbia, Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Clinical Centre of Nis, Clinical Hospital Centre Zemun, Clinical Hospital Centre Zvezdara, Clinical Hospital Centre Bežanijska Kosa, Clinical Hospital Centre Dragiša Misović, City Institute for Skin and Venereal Diseases, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinic Narodni Front, University Children’s Clinic, Military Medical Academy, City Institute for Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis Belgrade, City Institute for Pulmonary Diseases Vojvodina, Institute for Mother and Child Dr Vukan Čupić, Institute of Public Health “Batut”, Institute for Orthopaedic Surgery Banjica, Institute for Health Care of Children and Youth of Vojvodina, Institute of Oncology Belgrade and Faculty of Dental Medicine.

Project-supported services:

• Providing preventive and curative examinations;
• Providing emergency medical care and medical transportation in case of life-threatening illness / injury;
• Provision of medicines, medical devices, medical aids and supplies necessary for the health treatment of migrants;
• Providing health care in the form of necessary specialist diagnostic examinations (general surgery, neurology, psychiatry, gynaecology, otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, dermatology and radiology, laboratory diagnostics);
• Providing in-patient health care that includes diagnosis, treatment, medical rehabilitation and nutrition of patients in hospitals;
• Implementation of vaccination programmes for migrants and asylum seekers, especially for children;
• Conducting systematic examinations of migrant children for enrolment in the school system;
• Implementation of special programmes of psychological support, counselling and treatment of migrants whose mental health is challenged by depression and anxiety.

In addition to health services, in order to maintain a favourable epidemiological situation in transit reception canters and asylum canters, territorially competent public health institutes regularly conduct hygienic epidemiological surveillance and perform DDD services, more precisely disinfection, disinsection, deratization and depediculation services.

Legal framework

The Law on Health Care ("Official Gazette of RS", No. 25/2019), Article 236 stipulates that a foreign citizen, a stateless person, a person whose refugee status has been recognized, an asylum seeker, a registered foreigner who has expressed an intention to submit a request for asylum, a person enrolled in a voluntary return programme and a person who has been granted asylum in accordance with international and domestic legislation in the Republic of Serbia (hereinafter: foreigner), who has permanent or temporary residence in the Republic of Serbia or transits through the territory of the Republic of Serbia, is entitled to health care in accordance with this law, unless otherwise provided by an international agreement.

Migrant accommodation

The Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of Serbia (KIMS), in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Asylum ("Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia", No. 109/07), performs tasks related to providing accommodation and basic living conditions for asylum seekers and integration of persons with approved asylum (asylum canters) and in accordance with the Law on Migration Management ("Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia", No. 107/12) represents a central place in migration management policy and establishes a unique system for collecting data and information on migrant movements.

KIMS runs 19 canters for accommodation of migrants with an optimal accommodation capacity of 6,000 places.

In addition to regular asylum canters, to urgently address the issue of increased influx of migrants and asylum seekers, the Government of Serbia has made decisions to establish and make available additional reception facilities/transit facilities that provide minimum basic living conditions (accommodation, food, hygiene, and other emergency services) and these are:

The number of migrants who will probably be staying in Serbia next year is difficult to predict because the decisions made in one country along the route can have a direct impact on the borders of each of the countries from which refugees come and on the number of people stuck along the route. Recent experience also indicates seasonal fluctuations, with the number of migrants decreasing in spring and summer, but increasing in autumn and winter when travel is most difficult.