The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to approve a 50m euros loan to help Serbia improve infrastructure and equipment in 20 local hospitals. The loan will to be channelled through the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR).

The European Union will assist Serbia's health sector with 9.5m euros this year, said EAR's Belgrade office head Nicolas Marcoux, adding that the EAR also plans to support programmes for improving preventive health care.

Since 2000, the EAR has assisted Serbia's reforms with over 65m euros, said Serbian Minister of Health Tomica Milosavljevic, adding that 50m euros of the funding was appropriated for the pharmaceutical sector and the repair of old and purchase of new health care equipment.

(NewsBase 16.vi.03)