Improving productivity within health systems using limited resources is a matter of great concern. The objectives of the paper were to evaluate the productivity, efficiency, and impact of environmental factors on efficiency in Serbian hospitals from 2015–2019. Data envelopment analysis, Malmquist index and Tobit regression were applied to hospital data from this period, and public hospitals in Serbia exhibited a great variation regarding their capacity and performance. Between five and eight hospitals ran efficiently from 2015 to 2019, and the productivity of public hospitals increased whereas technical efficiency decreased in the same period. Tobit regression indicated that the proportion of elderly patients and small hospital size (below 200 beds) had a negative correlation with technical efficiency, while large hospital size (between 400 and 600 beds), the ratio of outpatient episodes to inpatient days, bed turnover rate and the bed occupation rate had a positive correlation with technical efficiency. Serbian public hospitals have considerable space for technical efficiency improvement and public action must be taken to improve resource utilization.

Introduction: Antidepressants and benzodiazepines are used for the pharmacological treatment of mental illness with complementary therapies, with their global use showing an increasing trend. Aim: The aim of the study is to examine trends in the use of antidepressants and benzodiazepines in Serbia for the period 2006-2019. Method: Annual data on consumption were taken from the Serbian Medicines Agency and expressed in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day (DDD / TID). Consumption trends were analysed using segmented regression. Segmented regression calculates the average annual percentage change (AAPC) in consumption during the observed period from 2006 to 2019. Results: Consumption of antidepressants and benzodiazepines in 2019 were 35 DDD / TID and 126 DDD / TID, with percentage increases of 360% and 33% compared to 2006 and with AAPC values of 11.8 (p < 0.001) and 0.7 (p = 0.564) respectively. Among antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were the most widely used. Anxiolytics-derivatives of benzodiazepines (N06BA) were the most used group among benzodiazepines. Bromazepam and Lorazepam had the highest volume in the N06BA group. Benzodiazepine-related drugs (Zolpidem) also had a growing trend, especially from 2006 to 2009. Conclusion: Use of benzodiazepines and antidepressants in Serbia increased, following global trends.

Background: On 23 July 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mpox multi-country outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This study aimed to identify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of confirmed mpox cases reported in Serbia in 2022. Methods: The mpox WHO case definition was used. Incidence rates (IRs) and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) by age groups and nomenclature of territorial units for statistics level 3 (NUTS-3) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: Between June and October 2022, 43 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported. All were unvaccinated males, with the mean age of 34 (±7.4) years. Out of the total, 72.1% cases were men who have sex with men (MSM), who reported sexual intercourse either with multiple or unknown partners (p < 0.01). Fifteen cases (34.9%) lived with HIV, mostly in the 30–39 age group (p = 0.023). People living in Belgrade City NUTS-3 were six times more likely to become infected compared to South Backa citizens (IRR: 6.03, 95% CI: 1.47–25.53). Conclusions: In Serbia, mpox mainly affected MSM aged 30–39 and living in urban areas. Health promotion and vaccine implementation should be prioritized in populations with a higher risk.

During 2015 Balkan encountered with the huge migration from Asia and Africa. Migration route is long and connected with lot risks. In the second half of 2015, Serbia was a crossroad of migrations from BYR Macedonia and Bulgaria to Hungary and Croatia. According to the Commissariat for Refugees, 556.393 migrants passing through Serbia. The Serbian health system was responsible to render all necessary health protection to all migrants, which make a serious challenge for the entire state.

This cross-sectional study evaluates the potential spatial accessibility of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) facilities in the Republic of Serbia (RS) for the year 2030. Cardiovascular diseases, specifically acute myocardial infarction (AMI), are major contributors to mortality, requiring immediate intervention to reestablish blood circulation to the heart. This research employs travel time isochrone analysis to assess the percentage of the population residing within three specific time intervals (30, 60, and 90 min) from a pPCI facility. We project the percentage of the population residing within a 30 min travel time interval to be 50% in 2030. Additionally, the percentage of the population residing within the 90 min travel time interval from a pPCI facility, i.e., known as the “golden hour” travel time distance, is around 96%, with some weekly variations that equate to 1%. We utilized additional spatial analysis to identify population clusters that reside beyond the 90 min travel time from a pPCI facility. These results point to specific regions where either additional pPCI facilities or better road connections would most effectively reduce treatment delays. Additionally, the study highlighted the optimal location for a novel pPCI facility, which is the city of Vršac. Our findings underline the need for careful planning in the health system, where location and transport data can directly guide measures to improve access and lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.