Milijana Rubin is the charge nurse at the Family Medicine Department of the Primary Health Care Centre Prijedor. Thanks to the support of her parents and husband, as well as the love for her profession, colleagues and co-citizens, she was able to be fully engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Primary Health Care Centre Prijedor was covering three quarantines, COVID-19 and respiratory dispensaries and triage checkpoints, and assisted at a border crossing. Together with her colleagues, Milijana joined the battle against the virus that required substantial work reorganization and adjustments to new protocols.  

The main challenge was to preserve the health of all employees and prevent the virus from entering the healthcare system and thus reaching the patients, many of whom are frail and already suffer from poor health. “Our patients will need us even when the pandemic is over. There is no rest for us. We have to continue working in full capacity after the pandemic too”, Milijana tells.

Milijana’s working day would frequently last for even ten hours, so without the family support she would not have been able to give her best. Her parents and husband took upon themselves all the obligations related to the online classes of her seven-year old son who was “proud that his mother is a health professional”. Milijana admits that a nursing job is a rather demanding and responsible position during a pandemic and adds that “When one loves his/her job, colleagues, town and the country, then one fights with all the strength for his/her family and co-citizens”.

The situation is somewhat less challenging now, as there are no longer engaged at border crossings and in quarantines. Working days still begin with planning and making arrangements with the colleagues.

Milijana is grateful to the citizens of Prijedor and patients for being tolerant and observing the prescribed preventive measures. “Some patients even called to ask after us and our families. That is something really motivating and inspiring for us doing this job”, Milijana adds.

Her message to the citizens is to persevere in observing the prescribed preventive measures: “We are on the right track to minimize the impact of the virus and learn to live with it”.

She is grateful to the health authorities for providing clear instructions and work protocols. “When one has clear instructions on how to act in a given moment, everything is much easier. The rest is up to the health facility one works in and its organization. Minister Alen Seranic is truly an expert and I greatly respect what he does”, Milijana concludes.