At the very beginning of the sitting, the Chairman of the Health and Family Committee Dr Darko Laketic presented the current health situation in Serbia and the measures taken to combat COVID-19.

Laketic informed the participants that a Subcommittee for monitoring the epidemiological situation due to the presence of the infectious disease COVID-19 was set up on 2 February tasked with considering all activities organised and conducted by Serbian authorities, local self-governments and other entities, healthcare institutions and individuals to protect the population from infectious diseases. The Subcommittee also intends to observe the pandemic’s impact on the functioning of the healthcare system and the process of implementation of these measures.

Laketic stated that the Subcommittee has already held two sittings to discuss different strains of the COVID-19 virus and the four types of vaccines available to the Serbian citizens.

Speaking about all the measures taken and the Serbian leadership’s good organisation, above all President Aleksandar Vucic’s personal engagement, the citizens of Serbia are in a position to choose the vaccine they will receive, Laketic said, adding that the Ministry of Health has done excellent work in terms of procedure and organisation of the vaccination, as evidenced by the fact that in this regard we are rated as one of the best in Europe.

Ministry of Health’s State Secretary Dr Mirsad Djerlek emphasised that the state leadership is leading an excellent fight against COVID-19, with the death rate being is below 0.9%, adding that and the provision of medical services to sick citizens received praise around the world. Djerlek opined that without unity and the support of local self-governments, we cannot defeat COVID-19. "It is very important to visit as many cities, municipalities, villages as possible and to talk to people, to eliminate their prejudices and to try to achieve the goal of revaccinating three million people by the end of June", said Dr Mirsad Djerlek.

The Committee members and other attending were also addressed by the director of the Merosina Health Center Dr Nebojsa Cvetkovic who said that about 21% of people of Merosina have been vaccinated, viz. 2150 people received the first dose, while 1727 citizens were revaccinated. He added that checkpoints have been set up in all the villages on the territory of the municipality and all four vaccines are available to citizens.

In his address, the President of the Municipality of Merosina Sasa Jovanovic emphasised that holding Committee sittings outside the Assembly seat is an example of good practice, which should be continued in the future.

In the ensuing discussion, the Committee members discussed the current health situation and the importance of vaccination for the suppression of the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus.

After the sitting, the Committee members visited the Merosina Health Centre and the vaccination checkpoint.

The sitting of the Health and Family Committee outside the National Assembly seat was supported by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Dr Sci.med Darko Laketic and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Nikola Radosavljevic, Svetlana Milijic, Rajka Matovic, Dragana Barisic, Dragana Brankovic Mincic, Sladjana Nikolic, Nevena Djuric, Dejan Stosic, Milijana Sakic and Dr Vesna Ivkovic.