The Bosnian government has announced that a new migrant hosting center will open soon to solve chronic overcrowding at the Vucjak camp in the Bihac area, which borders on Croatia.
Bosnian Security Minister Dragan Mektic announced on Tuesday that Bosnia will soon open an EU-funded hosting center for refugees and migrants. The aim of the new center is to solve the problem of the overcrowded Vucjak camp, which is located 20 kilometers from Bihac near the border with Croatia. That's according to local media reports.
Mektic
said the government's goal is to stabilize the situation in the canton of Bihac, which is under pressure due to the large number of migrant arrivals. In particular, chronic overcrowding is a major problem at the local Vucjak camp.
The facility hosts between 800 and 1,000 people each day in dire living conditions, the minister said. Local authorities and the international community have been urging the government to close the camp. The European Commission will finance the creation and management of the new center,
Mektic said.
Malaria cases among refugees
Last month, three migrants at the hosting center of Miral in the north-western Bosnian city of Velika Kladusa were diagnosed with malaria. That's according to the health councilor of the canton of Bihac, Nermina Cemalovic, who was quoted by local media.
Cemalovic said her office receives a weekly health report on migrants staying at the local hosting centers of Miral, Bira, Borici, Sedra and Vucjak.
She added, however, that those who treated at local hospitals leave as soon as they can; this poses a health risk for the population, the health councilor
said. While no infectious diseases have been reported in Sedra and Borici, which mainly host families with children, other centers have registered diseases including hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, she said.