Zlatibor “Health Up”, the largest regional conference on health and healthy living

Health has no alternative is the motto of the Zlatibor conference, which deals specifically with prevention. Most of the patients in our country in recent years are from cardiovascular and malignant diseases, and the data are worrying.

“According to the data of the Cancer Registry on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, 20,000 people lose their lives annually from malignant diseases. For this reason, prevention in the sense of early detection of cancer is necessary, and it is exactly such activities that we appeal to,” said Prof. Dr. Verica Jovanović, v. d. director of the Institute for Public Health “Milan Jovanović Batut”.

Investments in healthcare are focused on various areas.

“The biggest investments, if we don’t count the salaries of health workers, are in medicines. Currently, 105 billion dinars are allocated for medicines, which is five times more than five years ago. It is invested in medicines for rare diseases”, stated Prof. Dr. Sanja Radojević Škodrić, director of RFZO.

Investments in prevention and healthcare in general, the experiences of others show, are investments in the future.

“Every dollar invested in a healthy diet, in physical activity, in tobacco control, in the early detection and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, in 10 years can be returned not only economically, but also in better health of the population,” says Fabio Scano, director of the WHO Office in Serbia.

Food is also important as part of prevention.

“What is produced in our country and sold here on the market here is also controlled on several levels. So it is controlled at the place of production, it is controlled in processing and finally on the shelf of the trade chain. So our people have absolutely no reason to worry about food produced in Serbia. The legislation is such that it follows the EU,” explains Jelena Tanasković, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.

More than 300 guests and forty experts from various fields are participating in the conference.