Together Against COVID: Final Report

The project aimed to provide urgent support to the Serbian healthcare system in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, support was provided in three areas to the Serbian Ministry of Health, the National Public Health Institute "Dr Milan Jovanovic Batut," and the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs. The project focused on establishing a National Communications Center for Public Health, assisting primary, secondary, and tertiary health centers, and managing excessive waste from administering COVID-19 vaccines. In December 2021, the project was extended with Outcome 4, and the budget was increased by US$1.75 million. The duration was extended to October 22, 2022, and the number of supported national partners increased to include the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, the Institute for Application of Nuclear Energy, the Office for IT and e-Government, and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research and Development. The project achieved several notable outcomes, including the establishment of the National Communications Center for Public Health, which enabled streamlined cross-country communication and coordination during the pandemic. The project also provided 14 fully equipped ambulance vehicles to healthcare institutions at the local level across the country, renewing equipment and vehicles in the most critical area of healthcare-emergency response. Additionally, the project provided communications equipment to 36 state-run centers for the elderly, easing communication between tenants and their families and friends during the pandemic. The project also improved Serbia's capacity to manage hazardous medical waste created by the increased vaccination during the pandemic, representing a systemic solution to sustainable hazardous waste management in Serbian healthcare. Furthermore, the project supported the development of a software solution and database for the evaluation of risks related to entry requirements for travelers in the Republic of Serbia and used sophisticated software and data science to address vaccine hesitancy. The project was implemented in a horizontal manner by various UNDP teams, coordinated by the SDG Integration Center. The project's achievements demonstrate the importance of coordinated efforts in responding to public health threats and the need for sustainable solutions to address the challenges posed by the pandemic.