On 30 December, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Serbia Maja Popović together with Minister of Health Zlatibor Lončar visited the University Children’s Hospital — Tiršova, bringing New Year presents to children who would be spending the holidays in hospitalisation.
Ministers Popović and Lončar agreed with Hospital Director Siniša Dučić that starting from next year, the so-called ‘opportunity funds’ (resulting from non-prosecution agreements) would be awarded, as a matter of priority, to children’s hospitals and institutions, including for anything they may need.
Minister Popović noted that the support to the healthcare system was the initiative of the entire Government of Serbia, and that the New Year presents for the children who, due to hospitalisation, would be spending the holidays away from home, had been provided by the Directorate for the Administration of Seized Assets of the Ministry of Justice. ‘We will not only continue this initiative of donating toys and other things which may bring joy to the children, but also do everything possible to show the immense gratitude to all the health workers – heroes of our time – whom Minister Lončar has been managing phenomenally during this crisis that has befallen the whole world, with which not many developed countries have dealt as well as we have’, she emphasised.
Minister Lončar stated that children becoming a priority owing to the agreement made today was important and meaningful. He highlighted that the Ministry of Justice had been supporting the healthcare system even on the most difficult days when the entire country was fighting the pandemic, and provided two ambulance vehicles for a hospital in Valjevo several weeks before.
Hospital Director Siniša Dučić said that the University Children’s Hospital had over 120 paediatric patients who, due to the epidemiological situation, would not be receiving their New Year presents from the ministers personally during their visit, but later in the day.