Subotica – On May 12, 2017, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a U.S. government agency, donated two mobile electrocardiogram (EKG) machines to the Subotica Public Health Center, which oversees health services for the entire Subotica municipality. The EKG machines will enable health professionals working at facilities in the villages of Bajmok and Ćantavir to diagnose the needs of patients seeking emergency medical care. The new machines will support improved care for rural citizens of the Subotica municipality, as well as the migrants currently residing there.

The donations are part of USAID’s Support for the Local Response to the Refugee Crisis project, which is implemented by the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation. The project increases Serbian municipalities’ capacity to respond to the migrant crisis and to address the crisis’ effects on local communities.

One month ago, the project donated an EKG mobile machine to “Kolevka,” a center for disabled children in Subotica. It also has provided $20,000 in equipment to the Red Cross public kitchen and the city of Subotica.

Further helping Serbian communities respond to the migrant crisis, USAID provided $70,000 for the renovation of the Social Welfare Center in Subotica, as part of a separate project with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).