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Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubravka Bošnjak, opened the 47th Plenary Meeting of the South-Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) on the topic of "Strengthening Community Health Services," taking place on 20 and 21 June in Sarajevo. The event is organized by the SEEHN Secretariat and the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The meeting gathers representatives from the healthcare sectors of nine SEEHN member countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Israel, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, and Serbia), as well as representatives from partner organizations such as the World Health Organization, Central European Initiative, Ministry of Health of Slovenia, Croatian Institute of Public Health, and others.

Participants will have the opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices in organizing community health services among SEEHN member states, aiming to collectively find solutions to improve and strengthen healthcare services for the benefit of individuals who depend on them.

In her address, Minister Bošnjak emphasized the need to enhance the capacities of healthcare institutions and their services to ensure every citizen's right to the highest health standards and adequate quality healthcare services, making them accessible to all members of local communities in need of basic healthcare.

During the two-day event, representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina will present activities from projects currently being implemented with support from the EU and international donors, focusing on enhancing the scope and quality of community-based healthcare within primary healthcare and improving the health and well-being of the population.

The plenary meeting is the second event organized by the health authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the support of the Secretariat within the one-year mandate of Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency of SEEHN, which began on 1 June 2023, and which also officially marks the end of Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency mandate, and the assumption of a new mandate by the Republic of Bulgaria.

In May of this year, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska, with the support of the SEEHN Secretariat, hosted a Thematic Meeting on the topic "Ensuring the Future of Healthcare Workforce and High-level Healthcare: Nursing and Midwifery, Challenges and Next Steps," held in Banja Luka.

Since its establishment in 2001, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been a member of SEEHN and actively participates through its national health coordinators appointed by entity ministries of health and state contact points for cooperation with SEEHN and their alternates appointed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.