How prepared are cantons to help the most seriously ill and how the FBiH Government 'shifted the burden' from itself

By: Delvin Kovač

The most seriously ill patients continue their arduous, years-long battle to exercise their rights. The Rebalance of the Budget adopted yesterday in the Federal Parliament only somewhat alleviated their problems. It is now up to the cantons, which by the end of this year should, read - must, provide 60 million marks for the financing of the Solidarity Fund. Otherwise, new mass protests will follow in front of the building of the Parliament of the Federation, which the ruling trio would certainly not like.

The imposed Federal Government, led by Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić, seems to have done its maximum. And it is not capable of more. Yesterday, the House of Peoples also supported its proposed Rebalance, and the Budget of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2023 now amounts to nearly seven billion marks and is 211.7 million higher compared to the original one.

From yesterday's session of the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament

However, from all these numerous figures, only 10 million KM will flow into the Solidarity Fund out of the total of 70 million necessary for the treatment of the most seriously ill patients by the end of this year. The Federal Government has shifted the burden of the remaining 60 million to the cantons. And the cantons, for now, have not prepared concrete answers.

The Patria Agency contacted the prime ministers of the Sarajevo Canton (KS), Tuzla Canton (TK), Central Bosnia Canton (SBK), Una-Sana Canton (USK), Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDK), and Bosanska-Podrinje Canton (BPK). Some of them are interested in answering us, as well as in the issue itself. Others, obviously, are neither interested in one nor the other.

The question we asked them is the following: Does the Government you head have a surplus, and will it participate in financing the Solidarity Fund for the treatment of patients from your canton, and if so - with what amount? We received a "Seen" reply to the inquiry sent via Viber from the Prime Minister of BPK Edin Ćulov and ZDK Nezir Pivić, and you can read what the remaining four answered below.

Nihad Uk, Prime Minister of KS:

- We have sent a letter to the Health Insurance Fund for their statement.

Irfan Halilagić, Prime Minister of TK:

- We should hold a meeting on this topic by the end of the week and adopt certain positions.

Tahir Lendo, Prime Minister of SBK:

- You must ask our Health Insurance Fund, then the Ministry of Health of SBK, which propose such decisions to the Government, if we are able to.

Mustafa Ružnić, Prime Minister of USK:

- This is certainly a topic for us as well. For the first session of the Government Collegium (Friday, November 3rd), Minister of Health Muris Halkić announced it as one of the agenda items, and we will certainly inform you of the details. Of course, the USK Health Insurance Fund will also be involved here.

Let us remind you that the Federal Solidarity Fund started operating on July 1, 2002, and from its establishment until today, almost one and a half billion marks have not been paid into its account. And of course, the beneficiaries of these funds have suffered - the most seriously ill patients in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Stefanišin: All of this is heartbreaking

- What can I say without crying from sadness and hardship - says in an interview with Patria the president of the Association of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Diseases "Snaga u BiH" Alma Stefanišin, in reaction to the adoption of the Rebalance of the federal budget.

- The Rebalance is almost 7 billion, 211 million more than the previous budget, and there are no 70 million for seriously ill patients on waiting lists, which have become death waiting lists. Sad, so sad - says Stefanišin.

She adds that we all had the opportunity to watch and listen to the FBiH Parliament and the adoption of the budget for healthcare.

- Swimming pools, facades, and similar things were proposed. And no one supported 70 million for the federal Solidarity Fund and seriously ill citizens who are waiting for the day they will die because their lives don't matter to anyone.

I wonder if we are just voters for them or if we are human beings who have the right to life - adds Stefanišin.

Stefanišin: A difficult and arduous struggle (Photo: Federalna.ba)

She assesses as sad the fact that the problem of financing the Solidarity Fund has been dragging on for 21 years. It is also sad, she adds, that the patients had to take matters into their own hands and fight for themselves and their comrades in the fight against deadly diseases.

- Our four associations have united and embarked on a difficult struggle to secure funds for the treatment of all patients in the Federation. It is a difficult and arduous struggle.

We have achieved a small breakthrough - out of a budget of almost 7 billion, the Solidarity Fund, thanks to our struggle, will receive at least 10 million KM. So sad. Cantons have surpluses, and patients are dying. Well, all of this is heartbreaking - states Stefanišin.

She reminds that the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, by its conclusion, transferred the obligation to secure the missing funds to the cantons.

- It is important that there were funds for salary increases, daily allowances, pensions, building renovations, facades, swimming pool construction, and similar things, but not for the seriously ill - Stefanišin says bitterly.

The Association of Patients with Prostate Cancer of FBiH, the Association of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Diseases "Snaga u BiH", the Association of Patients with Breast Cancer "Renesansa", and the Association of Patients with Melanoma of FBiH have decided to continue the fight, and are now directing all their efforts towards the cantons.

- We have sent requests to all ten cantons to urgently meet with us with representatives of their ministries of health, finance, governments, and directors of health insurance, to inform them about the problem of waiting lists for their citizens, in order to find solutions and secure funds for their treatment.

We will not give up until all citizens start receiving treatment and until the death list shows 0. We ask and demand two things from the Government - to include healthcare and sick citizens in the "priority" financing regulations of this country - not to be the last item "under other".

And the second thing we are asking for is to respect Article 82 of the Law that they themselves wrote and passed - that the Government pays the same amount that was collected from salaries (contributions).

And we have solved the problem - there will be money in the Solidarity Fund, and the treatment of all citizens will be systematically resolved, and there will be no more death lists - adds Stefanišin.

Glušac: Protests on hold

The president of the Association of Patients with Breast Cancer "Renesansa" Enida Glušac tells Patria that regarding protests, they will wait to see what kind of response they get from the cantons.

- In the meantime, we have another burning issue, which is that the radio-therapy machines in Tuzla are not working, so patients are being sent to Sarajevo, Mostar, and Zenica.

Given that the aforementioned clinical centers already have their own patients, they report how many patients they can accept, and based on that, doctors in Tuzla triage patients according to priorities and create new waiting lists for these patients. It is sad because the cantonal fund in Tuzla also has a surplus - Glušac told us.

Glušac: Who will take responsibility (Photo: Federalna.ba)

According to her, there is definitely money in our country, it just requires certain people in positions to do the job they are paid for.

- As for the FBiH Government, it has been violating the law it passed for 22 years, and as a consequence, we have more deaths than during the coronavirus epidemic. Who will take responsibility for all these lost lives - asked Glušac.