In eight years of operation, the maternity ward in Pasjane has welcomed over 1,000 babies into the world

In the maternity ward of the General Hospital in Pasjane, which operates as a part of the Gnjilane Health Center and was opened in January 2015, a total of 1,047 babies have been born so far.

The maternity ward in Pasjane is the only rural maternity ward in Europe. The then Prime Minister, and now President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, opened this maternity ward in 2015.

In the Pasjane maternity ward, the majority of expectant mothers come from the Kosovo-Pomoravlje District. However, recently, there has been an increasing number of expectant mothers coming from the Sirinicka Zupa region, and there are cases of women coming from Central Serbia", Dr. Dejan Jocic, the Assistant Director of the Gnjilane Health Center, said.

"Mothers who come to the Pasjane maternity ward are mostly from the Kosovo-Pomoravlje District. However, recently, an increasing number of expectant mothers come from the Strpce Municipality, and there's even a number of Albanian women giving birth here. What's characteristic of this area is that the birth rate is higher compared to central Serbia. We achieved a record last year when a total of 160 babies were born. So far this year, 105 babies have been born, and we hope to reach or surpass that number", Dr. Jocic emphasizes.

What they are most proud of is the birth of the 1,000th baby, to whom President Vucic personally gave the name Lazar", Dr. Jocic said.

"That was, in a way, the culmination of our work, the birth of the thousandth baby, which happened on July 25th this year. The baby's godfather was the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, which we are very proud of. I can say that the working conditions here are excellent; we have the necessary technical equipment and a skilled team of experienced doctors, and so far, there have been no issues", Dr. Jocic stated.

Snezana Ivanovic, the head nurse of gynecology and obstetrics, emphasizes that women who have given birth here have gained a lot of trust, so they choose this maternity ward for each subsequent childbirth.

"As for our work, I think that women have trust in us, so they come to us in large numbers. Even women who have given birth here before come back to our maternity ward because they have confidence in both our nursing staff and doctors. Here, besides natural childbirth, we also perform cesarean sections and some elective surgeries because we are equipped for it. Women come not only from our region but also from Central Serbia", Ivanovic says.

Milica Nojic from Pasjane says that this will be her second childbirth at this maternity ward, and she is very satisfied with the conditions as well as the nurses and doctors who take care of her.

"I come from Pasjane, and this will be my second child. The nurses are very kind to me, and the first time I gave birth here, everything went very well. I don't know what else to say", Nojic said.

Apart from the maternity ward within the general hospital, two other departments operate, specifically the pediatric and gynecological departments. The Gnjilane Health Center covers the area of Kosovo-Pomoravlje, with a radius of approximately 100 by 60 kilometers, where around 35 clinics and health centers are efficiently functioning, providing healthcare services.