EU PROGRES

The educational campaign about the importance of preservation and improvement of women’s health had been successfully implemented during the period January-March 2014 in Bujanovac, Preševo and Vranje with financial support from the European Union and the Government of Switzerland through the European Partnership with Municipalities Programme EU PROGRES. More than 1,200 inhabitants from these municipalities in the South Serbia, among which had been the large number of high school students, were involved in the street events and conferences where they learned about the importance of the regular medical check-ups.

Within the campaign, street actions were held on the central squares in Vranje, Bujanovac and Preševo where the passers-by were given promotional material and brochures with information about the importance of health prevention. Students from the Faculty of Medicine talked to more than 600 women about how the regular gynaecological examinations could preserve their health and extend their lives. The conference held in Bujanovac had gathered experts from the Ministry of Health and the Institute of Public Health “Milan Jovanović Batut”, representatives of the local self-governments, oncologists and gynaecologists. They pointed the public attention to the prevention of breast and cervix cancer, as a very important topic for all citizens of Serbia.

Students from the Medical Faculty held numerous lectures about the sexual behaviour and protection of the reproductive health to over 550 high school and university students in Vranje, Preševo and Bujanovac. A survey was conducted among the students, showing that the largest number of female students go to the gynaecological examination once a year (34.88%); while 41.86 percent of girls stated that the fear of the physician was the main reason for not getting the examination.

The representatives of the local self-governments of Vranje, Preševo and Bujanovac supported the implementation of the “Find the Time” campaign and aimed to be involved throughout the activities. “The information regarding the fact that one in every eight Serbian women gets breast cancer’ and ‘four Serbian women get cervical cancer every day’ is terrifying, but I am sure that the education of public and similar campaigns can let people know that the health is the most important,” said the member of Vranje City Council for Health, Child Protection and Veteran-Disabled Protection Doctor Aleksandar Stajić while being involved in the campaign activities.