Serbia, Greece sign memorandum of cooperation in health care

BELGRADE - Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar hosted his Greek counterpart Adonis Georgiadis in Belgrade on Friday and the two ministers signed a bilateral memorandum of cooperation in health care.

Before the signing ceremony, the ministers discussed models of cooperation between the two health care systems, Serbia's EU path as well as the friendship between the Serbs and Greeks.

Loncar thanked Georgiadis for Greece's support for Serbia on the EU path.

Speaking about cooperation with Greece in health care, Loncar said it would include organ transplantation.

"They had similar problems when it comes to transplantation and donors, which they resolved to a great extent in the past year, year and a half. I think they resolved that in an intelligent manner and we will be cooperating and trying to apply the methods that they have applied in order to improve our results," Loncar said.

"They have opened a serious transplantation centre in Athens that we will be cooperating with, and our doctors will be going there for training - I am hoping for successful cooperation that will be to the benefit of the citizens," he said.

Loncar said the cooperation would result in important news for cancer patients.

"Greece is building a serious oncology centre in Thessaloniki, and it is not only building that centre, but will also be producing medicines. It is a drug that costs 300,000 euros, and they will be making it for 40,000 euros. I cannot even describe how much of a benefit that will be for Serbian citizens, and I thank the government of Greece, the minister and the people of Greece for making that drug available to us at a more favourable price," Loncar said, noting that Serbia would be looking to set up a similar centre in the future.

He added that the memorandum also included cooperation regarding artificial insemination, as well as provision of medical assistance to Serbian tourists in Greece and Greek visitors in Serbia.

Georgiadis noted that he was glad to be in the capital of a nation Greeks were very fond of and that all Greeks wanted to welcome Serbia to the EU as soon as possible.