The US Embassy in B&H donated specialized equipment for coronavirus testing and detection to the Goražde Cantonal Hospital.

The donation worth around 120,000 KM was provided by the US Command for Europe through the Office of Cooperation in the Field of Defense of the US Embassy in B&H.

The handover of the equipment that took place today was attended by the Charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in B&H, Deborah Mennuti, Head of the Office for Cooperation in the Field of Defense at the US Embassy in B&H, Major Taib Grozdanić, and the Assistant FB&H Minister of Health, Goran Čerkez.

Mennuti emphasized that the donated equipment will enable the provision of appropriate healthcare for the citizens of BiH in these difficult times.

- This PCR machine will help to quickly identify and isolate the Covid-19 virus and thus help save lives and slow down the spread of the virus. Of course, testing and vaccination are the way to finally defeat the pandemic and I was really impressed when I heard that the vaccination rate is almost 50 percent in the area of ​​Podrinje Canton. This is a goal that we want to achieve in the wider area and a really great example of how citizens can help health workers who are on the front lines in the fight against the pandemic - said Mennuti.

She added that the donation was provided by the US Embassy as a NATO ally and NATO partner of B&H, noting that NATO will actively continue to work on providing support to B&H.

- NATO's partnership with B&H is focused on reforms and activities that extend through all spheres of society and aim to improve the lives of all B&H citizens, and these reforms include both today's donation and reforms in the field of rule of law and reforms in the field of the defense sector. Of course, B&H is the one that should lead its own reforms, but NATO and the United States are always there to help. This is just one of the domains in which the United States is trying to provide support to B&H on its Euro-Atlantic path - said the Charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in B&H.

Director of the Cantonal Hospital Goražde, prim.dr. Nermina Kamenica pointed out that the donated equipment, as well as a number of tests, are of great importance for this institution.

- The Podrinje Canton is in daily for tests for COVID-19, and after this pandemic, the device will be used for other microbiological analyses, and we are in the process of equipping a microbiological laboratory for these purposes - said Kamenica.