This year could end up being the most difficult year for health workers ever, even compared to the war years in Sarajevo and the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, infectious diseases specialist Meliha Hadzovic-Cengic told N1.

Summing up the year that is about to end, she recalled that patients were mostly closed in the hospitals’ wards without any contact with their loved ones, while those suffering from Covid-19 were mostly dying alone.

“So difficult year, so many bad things. But there is hope. Not everything is so dark and there has to be light at the end of the tunnel. There are results, no matter how horrible they might seem and no matter what is still awaiting us, there is a gleam of light. And that’s the vaccine that I believe will give us a chance to fight this disease,” said the doctor.

According to her, the doctors who worked throughout the years of war in Bosnia have said this one was worse.

“Once you are out of the 24-hour long shift when you went through everything with your patients – we cannot share the joy with our family. This was a very difficult year,” said Hadzovic-Cengic.

Commenting on the criticism that was sometimes directed against the health workers and healthcare system, she noted that bringing back the trust of patients is the hardest.

“I always say, what you have with your patient, the satisfaction you get when they thank you for being cured – there is no material compensation for that. It makes the medicine the way it is. I hope we will get back the trust in the healthcare system,” she stressed.

As for the mortality rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the pandemic, the doctor explained the accurate data will be available only after deep analyses that will follow.

Covid-19 is a specific disease and very turbulent, she stressed.

The vaccine procurement should have been considered much earlier, according to her.

“We have the information it could be here at the end of February, that would be excellent. I’m afraid of the scenario we had with H1N1. There was a pandemic and you remember the consequences. This is worse because it is very unknown,” she warned.

Hadzovic-Cengic underscored the importance of vaccination, noting that this is the only answer to the current situation.