On 15 December 2022, the Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ankica Gudeljevic and NATO Commander in Sarajevo, Brigadier General Pamela McGaha, presided over a ceremony for the delivery of personal protective equipment to the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, through NATO’s Pandemic Response Trust Fund.
The donation included 110,000 surgical masks, 10,000 FFP2 and FFP3 masks, 20,160 safety goggles, 20,000 COVID-19 antigen tests, and 210 boxes of wet wipes. It was coordinated by NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) – NATO’s main civil emergency response mechanism – in response to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s request for international assistance.
“I want to firstly recognize and thank all of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s healthcare heroes for their compassion, skill and continued dedication,” Brigadier General McGaha said. “This is the latest donation by NATO and its Allies, spanning the three years since the first case of COVID was documented; our donations have included masks and hand sanitizer, and much needed ventilators and x-ray machines; this equipment will help replenish vital supplies, and help make sure healthcare professionals, and patients are protected,” she added. “This latest donation also serves to highlight NATO’s enduring commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina; we continue to respond to requests for support and help the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina keep citizens safe,” Brigadier General McGaha pointed out.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina will distribute the equipment to medical facilities throughout the country. This donation complements NATO’s EADRCC support delivered to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2021 and 2022, including 30 ventilators, 500 thermometers, IsoArk N36-2 negative pressure chambers, portable x-ray machines, COVID-19 antigen tests, and personal protective equipment.
This support is part of the overall NATO COVID-19 assistance package Allies have agreed to provide Bosnia and Herzegovina to address the severe effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the coming weeks, Bosnia and Herzegovina will also receive hooded coveralls provided through NATO’s Pandemic Response Trust Fund.