Donations 30 hospital beds with hospital mattresses and bedside furniture

Impact: greater than 1000 babies every year

Modernizing Maternity Care for an Entire Region

Our visit to the Zdravstveni Centar Valjevo was a powerful reminder of why SAMA chose maternity and newborn care as one of our priorities this year.

Valjevo is not simply a city maternity ward. It is the only maternity hospital serving the entire Kolubara District, caring for women from Valjevo, Ub, Lajkovac, Mionica, Osečina and Ljig. ZC Valjevo serves a regional population of approximately 200,000 people. Zdravstveni Centar Valjevo

In 2025 alone, 1,019 deliveries resulted in 1,029 babies being born in Valjevo. Of those mothers, 585 were from Valjevo itself; hundreds of others came from communities throughout the surrounding district. Zdravstveni Centar Valjevo

What SAMA donated

After the hospital responded to SAMA’s call for projects, we learned that something very basic was badly needed: the beds in which mothers recovered after giving birth were old and, in many cases, no longer adequately functional.

SAMA therefore funded a $40,000 complete modernization of the maternity ward’s patient beds and bedside furniture: 30 new hospital beds, new mattresses, waterproof mattress covers, bedside cabinets and associated furnishings. Kolubarske.rs

This may sound less dramatic than donating a sophisticated medical device, but its impact is immediate and continuous. These beds are used every day by women recovering from vaginal deliveries and Cesarean sections. They are more comfortable and functional, allow easier adjustment of the head of the bed, and make it considerably easier for nurses and midwives to move and care for their patients. Dr. Željka Marić reported that both patients and staff were extremely pleased with the improvement. Zdravstveni Centar Valjevo

At roughly 1,000 deliveries every year, these 30 beds will serve thousands of mothers over their useful lifetime.

Who welcomed us in Valjevo

We were warmly welcomed by the leadership and staff of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, led by Dr. Željka Marić, Chief of Gynecology and Obstetrics, whose application to SAMA initiated this collaboration. Kolubarske.rs

Dr. Marić and her colleagues showed us the maternity unit, demonstrated the new beds and discussed both the progress already made and what remains to be done. The department includes obstetrics, pregnancy pathology, operative gynecology, assisted reproduction and neonatology; the hospital lists 13 OB/GYN specialists and three pediatric neonatologists among its staff. Zdravstveni Centar Valjevo

What impressed us was that this was not simply a request for equipment. We met a team that clearly wants to build a modern regional maternity service.

The larger goal: excellent care close to home

That is ultimately the point of this donation.

A woman from Valjevo or the surrounding towns should not have to travel to Belgrade simply because basic equipment or infrastructure is better there.

Valjevo already has the medical foundation to provide substantial care locally. Its maternity service has four delivery rooms and a dedicated operating room for Cesarean sections. The department also provides neonatology, pregnancy pathology and assisted reproduction services. The hospital reports that improved equipment and continuing staff education have already significantly reduced the number of newborns who must be referred to tertiary centers. Zdravstveni Centar Valjevo

The hospital has also recently added new delivery tables and ultrasound equipment, while expanding access to epidural analgesia. It has long offered the presence of a support person during delivery and a Baby-Friendly program that allows mothers and newborns to remain together. Zdravstveni Centar Valjevo

Of course, some high-risk mothers and critically ill newborns will always appropriately require tertiary-level care in Belgrade. The goal is not to eliminate necessary referrals. It is to make sure that women and babies who can safely be cared for in Valjevo have the equipment and local resources that allow them to stay close to their families and communities.

That distinction is important.

More than 30 beds

The photographs tell the story particularly well: before and after.

Old, worn hospital beds have been replaced by modern, functional beds and new bedside furniture. But what those photographs represent is larger than furniture.

They represent a mother from Lajkovac who does not have to travel farther than necessary. A family from Ub that can remain near home. A midwife who can position and transport her patient more safely and efficiently. And more than 1,000 mothers and 1,000 newborns each year receiving care in a maternity unit that better reflects the quality of the professionals working inside it. Zdravstveni Centar Valjevo

This is exactly the kind of project SAMA wants to support: practical, measurable improvements in regional hospitals that strengthen healthcare where people actually live.

The Valjevo project was made possible by our donors and supporters in the Serbian-American community. Every contribution became something tangible: 30 beds, 30 mattresses, bedside furniture—and a better environment for the next generation of mothers and babies in the Kolubara District.