BH Journalists: Public protest against KCUS Director Dr. Sebija Izetbegović

(Patria) - The Steering Board of the Association of BH Journalists publicly demands that Ms. Sebija Izetbegović, Director of the Sarajevo University Clinical Center, provide journalists and all media outlets with equal access to information regarding the coronavirus epidemic in Sarajevo, its consequences on public health, and the measures being taken by this healthcare institution.

According to complaints received by the Journalists' Support Line from a number of journalists, the KCUS Press Service is unavailable to journalists and does not respond to inquiries from certain media outlets, while Director Izetbegović chooses which media outlets will receive "exclusivity" and priority in obtaining information of public importance. Of particular concern is the fact that citizens of Sarajevo Canton, as well as the entire BiH, cannot obtain accurate, comprehensive, and credible information about the death of a patient in the Podhrastovi hospital's infectious diseases ward, the number of coronavirus tests available to citizens, the consequences of closing one KCUS clinic on patient health and the safety of other medical staff at the Clinical Center, etc.

The Steering Board of BH Journalists opposes the imposition of censorship and the non-transparent sharing of information with the media, and most decisively demands that Dr. Izetbegović, as the most responsible person at KCUS, establish a permanent, effective, and non-discriminatory communication system with all media, including daily public information on issues concerning public health, measures KCUS is taking in treating affected citizens, and preventing the spread of coronavirus.

Furthermore, the Steering Board of BH Journalists once again publicly calls on the Sarajevo Canton Crisis Staff and the Federation of BiH Crisis Staff not to select information and to avoid answering questions submitted by the media via email. It is the public responsibility and duty of every crisis staff and its members to respond to all media inquiries, including questions regarding the purchase of coronavirus tests, their quantity and price, as well as the names of companies through which tests and other necessary medical equipment were procured. We emphasize again: these are issues of interest to citizens, and answers to them represent public interest and are part of the right to freedom of information.