Coronavirus: in Serbia, medical equipment blocked by customs for more than a year

N95 type respiratory protection masks. (Illustrative image) Erin Clark / The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Text by: Laurent Rouy

In Serbia, the Covid-19 epidemic caused a rush on protective masks, which quickly disappeared from pharmacies. A controversy has also erupted over the number of artificial respirators available. However, the local newspaper Les Nouvelles du Sud revealed that medical equipment was stuck in customs in the town of Nich due to the disorganization of the Serbian administration.

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With our correspondent in Belgrade

Medical equipment for a hospital in southern Serbia has been sleeping in a customs warehouse for over a year. The 14-ton container had arrived from the United States thanks to a humanitarian association, but its contents were never distributed. It notably contains protective masks , an accessory that has not been found in Serbia for 10 days, but also protective suits, and even an artificial respirator.

Problem, the Serbian drug agency never agreed to the distribution of equipment, all against a background of corruption, since several people, including a secretary of state, had been arrested after asking for bribes. wine to unblock the situation.

Alas, nothing is happening and the equipment is deteriorating. According to donors, some of the content is now out of date, making it difficult to obtain authorizations for what is still usable. The humanitarian association has asked these days for an inventory of equipment still in good condition.

Impossible, according to customs, until the authorization is issued, which the drug agency cannot do until we know the real state of the remaining equipment.

Read also: The Balkans barricade themselves against the coronavirus epidemic

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  • Serbia
  • Coronavirus

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