Conference on Improvement of Reproductive Health organised

Within the CARES project a Conference on Improvement of Reproductive Health was organised on 16 and 17 December, with the aim to exchange experience, opinions, good practice models and lessons learned in the improvement of reproductive health, awareness raising and the importance of international cooperation in this area.  The project “CARES-Cross-border Actions in the Reproductive Health Sector” is financed by the European Union within the Cross-border Cooperation Programme Montenegro-Kosovo* and in Montenegro it is financed by the Ministry of Public Administration. The Contracting Authority for the project is the Ministry of finance of Montenegro – Directorate for Finance and Contracting of the EU Assistance Funds. In Montenegro, the project is implemented by FORS Montenegro – Foundation for the Development of Northern Montenegro.

The Conference gathered representatives of health institutions, civil society organisations, state and local authorities, media, project partners, etc. From Montenegro and other countries. The Conference was opened by Dr Mevlida Gusinjac, Directo-General of the Directorate for Health Protection at the Ministry of Health of Montenegro, Arben Osmani, representative of the partner organisation ECMI and Veselin Šturanović, Executive Director of FORS Montenegro. The speakers at the panel discussions were eminent representatives of the Ministry of Health, Institute of Public Health, Clinical Centre of Montenegro and other health institutions as well as representatives of civil society organisations active in this field. During the previous two days they presented the information and situation related to reproductive health in Montenegro and the region, prevention, diagnosis and treatment for the cervical cancer and breast cancer, good practice examples in this area, importance of involvement of all segments of the society, etc.

Other project activities included procurement of the equipment for health institutions in the northern region of Montenegro worth € 83,210.19, organisation of preventive gynecological and breast examinations for women from the target area and the awareness raising campaign on the importance of prevention in protecting reproductive health, with the emphasis on prevention of breast and cervical cancers. The project, which ends by the end of this year is implemented in the following municipalities in Montenegro: Andrijevica, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Gusinje, Petnjica, Plav, Kolašin, Mojkovac and Rožaje.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.