The lack of information on the number of people vaccinated in Bosnia and the fact that there is no way to find reliable data on it negatively impacts the overall vaccination effort in the region, an article by the Organization for World Peace (OWP) said.

BiH “already had political, social, and economic issues prior to the COVID-19 pandemic” the article said.

“Now, however, there are new issues with the national vaccination efforts, which include lacking an adequate vaccine supply, difficulty tracking who is vaccinated, and a fight against vaccine misinformation. These issues not only affect local progress but also regional efforts to end the pandemic.”

OWP quoted Bosnia’s Civil Affairs Ministry, which said that BiH received vaccine doses from the COVAX program and imported about 530,000 doses.

However, with a population of just under four million, “this number is not enough to immediately vaccinate vulnerable groups.”

According to the World Health Organization, 315,780 vaccines have been administered in the country. But the data does not specify whether these are first or second doses.

OWP quoted an RFE-RL article that said that officials in Bosnia can only confirm “about 180,000 people getting a first dose and a mere 50,000 receiving their second injections.”

One of the main factors affecting the low vaccination rates is that BiH citizens travel to Serbia to get vaccinated.

“One challenge is that Bosnian authorities have no way of tracking who got (or will get) the vaccine in neighbouring Serbia, and not everyone that gets vaccinated wants to report that data,” it said, explaining that “this makes it a challenge to track down anyone already vaccinated, meaning that Bosnian officials should focus on those that intend to get the vaccine.”

But before that, BiH authorities should establish “a streamlined system that will help gather the information.”

Another factor is the healthcare system in the country.

Bosnia’s two semi-autonomous entities each have their own healthcare administration and in the Federation (FBiH) entity, “most health-care duties have been delegated to the cantons,” Bosnia’s Brcko District “keeps largely to itself” and the Republika Srpska (RS) entity “runs a highly centralized health-care system that sometimes relies on resources from neighbouring Serbia.”

“There have also been instances of mismanagement and scandals, leaving many Bosnians unsure of how to approach getting the vaccine,” the article said.

It stressed that having vaccination rate information is crucial because it helps determine which groups are getting vaccinated and which are not, which leads to “targeted strategies helping reach those that cannot easily access the vaccine and figure out ways to make it happen.”

“It also helps see which groups are putting off getting the vaccine. This is a major issue in various parts of the world, but in southeastern Europe, it is more pronounced as it has one of the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy in the world,” the article said, referring to a report from the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG).

The lack of information from central authorities in BiH “makes data from the government less reliable,” it said, adding that “if Bosnian officials are not sure about the numbers they have gathered, it is unlikely to instil confidence in the local populations.”

“For that to change, Bosnian authorities must find ways to safely gather data and guarantee confidentiality.”

The next step would be to establish cooperation with the population of both entities along with “transparency about data gathering, methods of ensuring confidentiality on personal details, and having a central location such as a website for Bosnians to view this data,” it said.