Republic of Serbia
The Udruženje za Javno Zdravlje Srbije (Public Health Association of Serbia - PHAS) was established on October 28, 2003. PHAS is a non-governmental, independent, voluntary membership and non-profit organization. It is a broad-based, multi-disciplinary public health association which has been involved in the implementation of several public health initiatives that have influenced public health policy, programs and practice in the Republic of Serbia. The Association has 560 registered members and branches in nine districts across Serbia. The members are public health professionals and practitioners from various backgrounds and as well from other disciplines who share the common goal to resolve public health problems in the Republic of Serbia through a participative and multidisciplinary approach.
CPHA was involved in its conceptualization and creation. The process started through a series of workshops and meetings in 2002 and 2003 where the concept of public and population health and the role of public health associations were presented to the Republic of Serbia’s health sector community. In mid-2003, several key members of the country’s public health community formed a small task force that became the foundation for the launching of PHAS. CPHA provided technical advice to the task force with respect to the future Association’s governance structure, by-laws, activity work plan and management.
In its early years, PHAS concentrated its efforts on four areas: extending its reach within the Republic of Serbia; tobacco control; the development of a public health strategy for the Republic of Serbia, and increasing awareness among public health practitioners in Serbia about priority public health issues and the role of PHAS in addressing them. In 2004 PHAS moved into its offices located at Medifarm, a local pharmaceutical company. It opened a public health resource centre and started distributing a membership newsletter and holding an Annual Assembly.
PHAS established itself quickly as a credible civil society voice for public health in Serbia. Its members participated at many health sector-related meetings and consultations. It became a member of the Republic’s National Commission on Tobacco Control (NCTC). It also contributed to the working group commissioned by the Ministry of Health to develop the Republic’s first public health strategy in 2004.
PHAS organized public awareness campaigns on tobacco control in cooperation with NCTC. These included annual National No-Tobacco Day events in January of each year as well as the World No-Tobacco Day events each May 31. In late 2003, PHAS carried out the first-ever pilot study on pregnancy-associated smoking prevalence and post-partum smoking cessation relapse in the Republic of Serbia. The results of this survey, which indicated a high smoking prevalence rate among women when they learn they are pregnant (49%) and a very high smoking cessation relapse rate among post-partum women (> 90%), indicated that attention needed to be paid to gender-sensitive approaches to smoking cessation. PHAS also organized an innovative public awareness campaign on the issue of smoking prevention among young women. In cooperation with one of Serbia’s leading modeling agencies, it organized a fashion show of sports wear for young women that highlighted the health risks associated with smoking. The event was a huge success with national media coverage.
Models descending the stairs at the young women’s sportswear fashion show, holding blow-ups of sections of the “Tobacco Industry Poster Child” poster showing the health risks associated with smoking (2004).
The aim of the present project is to continue supporting PHAS’ organizational and performance capacity development. Through the auspices of this project, PHAS engaged a full-time Project Manager. This individual works closely with the PHAS Board of Directors and provides much-needed administrative and logistical support to the Association’s many activities.
For more information on the Public Health Association of Serbia, visit their website at www.ujzs.org.