5 Million BAM Annually for Treatment Outside BiH

The Federal Health Insurance Institute (FZZO) paid about five million marks to various foreign clinics in 2013, where patients from the Federation of BiH were treated. However, this amount this year could be twice as high, because the Rulebook on Referring Insured Persons for Treatment Abroad provides for referring patients to other countries for treatment of seven more serious diseases that cannot be treated in BiH, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

Thus, only from February to May this year, invoices worth about three million marks arrived at the FZZO address from various foreign clinics, writes Patria.

From FZZO, they confirmed for NAP that due to the treatment of children abroad for bone marrow transplantation and operations of complex congenital malformations, as well as gamma knife operations for children and adults, in accordance with the temporary Decision, they reimbursed health institutions abroad for the issued invoices for treatment costs in the amount of about 5,000,000.00 BAM.

However, since invoices have not been issued for all referred and treated children from previous years, it is estimated that in the coming period, expected costs on that basis will amount to an additional about 5,000,000.00 BAM.

- In 2014, more precisely from February 2014, the Rulebook on Referring Insured Persons for Treatment Abroad has been in effect, which, in addition to the mentioned diseases, provided for seven more of the most serious diseases that cannot be successfully treated in health institutions in BiH, due to which, in accordance with certain conditions and the procedure prescribed by the Rulebook, referral for treatment abroad is foreseen - said for Patria Suada Kovačević, head of the Service for Foreign Insurance and Treatment Abroad at FZZO.