UNICEF and Vojput doo donate an incubator to the General Hospital in Sombor

Sombor, 17 November 2025 – UNICEF and the company Vojput LLC from Subotica have provided the General Hospital in Sombor with a new incubator, as well as specialized training for staff from the hospital and the local Health Centre on how to support breastfeeding. The total value of this donation is 2,030,000 RSD.
This initiative, carried out to mark World Prematurity Day, is part of UNICEF’s ongoing efforts, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, to improve conditions for the care and treatment of the youngest patients.

Each year, around 800 babies are born at the General Hospital in Sombor, and some require additional medical support such as thermal regulation, oxygen therapy, or phototherapy — all of which depend on the availability of an incubator. For babies born before 34 weeks of gestation who are typically transported to Novi Sad, the incubator plays a critical role in stabilizing the newborn prior to transport, directly influencing their well-being and treatment outcomes.
The new equipment will strengthen the hospital’s capacity to provide timely care to preterm babies, as well as to full-term newborns who experience health complications at birth.

Such investments are particularly meaningful for institutions that provide care for the youngest patients every day.

“For the General Hospital in Sombor, the donation of this incubator is of exceptional importance. Around 800 babies are born in our maternity ward each year, including the most vulnerable newborns who require intensive care from the very first moments of life. Thanks to the new incubator, we will be able to offer safer, more stable, and higher-quality treatment conditions.
I would like to extend my special gratitude to UNICEF for their dedicated and continuous support in improving newborn health care in Serbia. We also owe great thanks to the company Vojput, the donor of this valuable equipment. Your support shows how much a community can influence the lives and health of its youngest members — and how it can change, improve, and shape their futures. On behalf of our staff and all parents whose babies will benefit from this incubator — thank you,” said Dr. Dragan Rastović, Acting Director of the General Hospital “Dr Radivoj Simonović.”

UNICEF’s collaboration with the private sector plays an increasingly important role in ensuring support that is essential for children and families across Serbia. Vojput from Subotica has supported various UNICEF programmes with a total of 14 million RSD over the last five years.

“For years, we have been committed to supporting our community where help is needed most, and that is why it means so much to me that today we are donating an incubator to the General Hospital in Sombor. Every preterm baby deserves the best possible start in life, and I believe this incubator will improve the chances for the most vulnerable newborns to survive and thrive.
In times like these, when the business sector and the wider community face many challenges, I believe that supporting the community is more important than ever. I am deeply convinced that only by joining forces can we make a real difference. Vojput has been a UNICEF partner for five years, and I am proud of what we have achieved together so far. That is why we remain committed to our joint work and to creating better conditions for children — our future and our most valuable resource,” said Goran Janković, Director of Vojput from Subotica, the company that funded the purchase of the incubator and the training for medical staff.

Globally, 13.4 million babies are born prematurely each year; in Serbia, more than 4,000. Preterm babies are exceptionally vulnerable and require constant monitoring in stable and controlled conditions from birth until discharge. For many, this fight continues throughout their lives — which is why these tiny fighters and their parents are true heroes of our communities.

“High-quality care for newborns, especially those born prematurely, requires modern equipment, up-to-date knowledge and practices of healthcare professionals, and active involvement of parents in caring for their child. I am pleased that, at the request of the Sombor hospital, we are able not only to donate an incubator but also to organize training for staff and help them apply the latest knowledge in everyday practice. Our aim is to support their efforts to ensure that the irreplaceable bond between parent and child — essential for development — begins at birth, including in intensive care through skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, and parental engagement in caregiving. I want to thank Vojput for responding promptly to the needs of the hospital in Sombor, their fellow citizens, and for continuing our successful partnership in supporting the most vulnerable children in Serbia,” said Jelena Zajeganovic Jakovljević, Health and Early Childhood Development Specialist at UNICEF Serbia.

In recent years, UNICEF has invested nearly one million dollars in improving neonatal health care in Serbia. Working with healthcare institutions and partners, UNICEF continues to strengthen neonatology — from advancing family-centred developmental care, enabling skin-to-skin contact and supporting breastfeeding, to providing equipment for intensive care, training healthcare workers, and modernizing the entire network of services that ensure continuity of support for the most vulnerable newborns in Serbia.