Regional director of WHO for Europe Dr. Hans Kluge visited the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montenegro
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montenegro full prof. Miodrag Radunović, PhD met today with Dr. Hans Kluge, Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe, who is on an official visit to Montenegro. In addition to full prof. Miodraga Radunović, PhD, attended by the Vice-Dean for Teaching full prof. Aleksanda Božarić Vuksanović, PhD, Vice-Dean for Science full prof. Aneta Bošković, PhD, Vice-Dean for International Cooperation full prof. Žarko Dašić, PhD, Secretary of the Medical Faculty Radisav Vešović, as well as the Head of the WHO Office in Montenegro Dr. Mina Brajović and Mirjana Đuranović, National Coordinator for the WHO, Ministry of Health.
Dean Radunović, while welcoming a high-ranking WHO official, expressed his gratitude to RD Kluge for visiting and recognizing the importance and role of the Faculty of Medicine in the health care system. He emphasized the immeasurable role of the WHO and the leadership of RD Kluge in responding to the global pandemic COVID 19, which, in organizing the response of health systems to the pandemic, reduced the serious consequences in the European region, referring to WHO's continuous support to national capacities and health system.
RD Kluge thanked for the warm welcome, emphasizing that the long-term cooperation with prof. Radunović has always been at a high level and with recognizable results, pointing out that she is looking forward to its continuation through other modalities.
According to Dean Radunović, the COVID 19 pandemic has shown that the new times require a new profile of health workers, redefining the curriculum in education programs, with an emphasis on prevention programs, competent to respond to such challenges, which could be a topic at the level of higher education at faculties of medicine in the European region with WHO support. Dean Radunović informed the senior official that the Faculty of Medicine had given its contribution in the defense against COVID and in a way that students were helping health workers in the Call Center at the very beginning of the pandemic. They are also participating in the celebration of WHO Day, which was recently the case with "Immunization Week", when they worked in three Montenegrin regions to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination.
RD Kluge recognized the idea of cooperation in the field of education of health workers as extremely important, and announced the establishment of the Network of Medical Faculties in the European region, in which, as he pointed out, the Medical Faculty of the University of Montenegro will certainly have a special place and leadership role.
After the meeting, in the amphitheater of the Faculty of Medicine, RD Kluge held a lecture on the topic: WHO European Work Program for Europe, investing in health, innovation and knowledge - the path to sustainable development.
The lecture was attended by the Minister of Health Jelena Borovinić Bojović, representatives of CANU, public health institutions, members of the Council of the Faculty of Medicine, medical students, media representatives.
During his presentation, Dr. Kluge especially pointed out “The pandemic emphasizes the urgency of the need for innovation in healthcare. "New competencies, higher productivity, providing conditions for greater motivation of health personnel and preventing them from leaving Montenegro, continuous learning and digital literacy, have no alternatives", according to Dr. Kluge. He particularly emphasized “Covid-19 has accelerated the use of new technologies. The pandemic has spurred new models and online platforms for distance learning. With the new Government of Montenegro and the ongoing work on health policy, opportunities have opened up for the modernization of the system using digital technologies, which has opened the possibility for Montenegro to become a regional leader in digital healthcare within the Western Balkans. ”
In the end, Dean Radunović presented the Plaque to RD Kluge for his contribution to the development of public health and the affirmation of the academic community.
Without innovation and knowledge, integration and inclusion, there is no modern health care system, the interlocutors agreed.