Event highlights
A 3-day expert workshop titled “Hospital preparedness for mass casualty incidents in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, organized by the Ministry of Health of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the WHO Country Office, recently concluded in Neum. The workshop focused on providing direct support to hospitals in developing, revising and implementing emergency response plans through a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical work.
The workshop gathered representatives from hospitals, emergency medical services, the Federal Civil Protection Administration, the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other key stakeholders from the fields of public health and emergency response. The aim of the event was to strengthen the capacity of the health system for coordinated, efficient and timely responses to mass casualty events and emergencies.
Goran Čerkez, Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Health, emphasized the importance of ensuring that emergency response plans are not merely formalities, but functional documents understood by health-care facility staff.
“Every institution must have an emergency plan, but what’s crucial is that staff know how to act in accordance with it. Through this workshop, we aim to lay the foundation – a group of experts and practitioners who will later lead the development and testing of emergency plans in all hospitals,” said Čerkez.
Participants were introduced to the theoretical frameworks and key components of hospital preparedness plans, including triage procedures, communication protocols and evacuation plans. The workshop also emphasized practical group work. The experiences and best practices of the Cantonal Hospital “Dr Irfan Ljubijankić” in Bihać served as a model for discussion and the development of solutions tailored to different institutions.
Mirza Palo, WHO Emergencies Support Officer, explained, “This is the first time that WHO in Bosnia and Herzegovina is directly working with hospitals on crisis preparedness. So far, our collaboration has mostly been with institutes and ministries, making this an important step toward strengthening resilience and operational readiness in the hospital sector.”
The workshop also included sessions on the role of health-care workers in crisis situations, triage and medical response processes, strategic management, planning, and crisis communication. Special attention was given to the role of the Red Cross in providing humanitarian and logistical support during emergencies. The Emergency Medical Institute of Sarajevo Canton also led a demonstration exercise.
This workshop is part of a broader process led by the Ministry of Health and WHO aimed to strengthen the resilience of the health system in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Event notice
From 27–29 May 2025, the Ministry of Health of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the WHO Country Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina will jointly host a 3-day workshop entitled “Hospital preparedness for mass casualty incidents in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina” in Neum.
The event will bring together over 30 senior representatives, including officials from cantonal ministries of health, emergency medical services, hospitals, civil protection authorities and other relevant institutions involved in emergency preparedness and response.
The workshop will focus on strengthening the health sector’s readiness for large-scale emergencies and disasters. Participants will engage in technical discussions, scenario-based exercises and knowledge exchange to improve coordination, planning and communication for mass casualty incident preparedness across the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.