Those responsible are silent, while patients suffer: Are lives being lost due to the closure of the Emergency Center on Mondays and Fridays?

By: Amra Varatanović

A document on the restructuring of healthcare activities and the reorganization of health institutions in Sarajevo Canton should be presented to the representatives in the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton, as the public debate has long been concluded, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria.

We have not received answers from the Ministry of Health of Sarajevo Canton, headed by Zilha Ademaj (SBB), about when this document will be placed on the Assembly's agenda, nor about why it does not define a precise patient pathway regarding emergency care.

The practice of closing the Emergency Center of the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo (KCUS) on Mondays and Fridays, sending patients to the General Hospital "Prim.dr. Abdulah Nakaš," implemented by KCUS director Sebija Izetbegović and carried out by General Hospital director Sead Bašić under the verbal approval of Minister Ademaj, has not proven effective.

This system was introduced on April 4, 2016, but no official decision was ever made, and Minister Ademaj called it a "trial period."

Although it was announced that this document would cover this segment, as practice has shown that "shuttling" patients from the General Hospital to KCUS not only increases costs (instead of directing that money to other urgently needed things in the hospital) but also wastes precious time for patients, especially those whose lives hang by a thread and where every second is crucial.

Interestingly, at a press conference held by Izetbegović a few days ago marking one year of her mandate at the helm of KCUS, she did not present exact data on the number of interventions, surgeries, services provided, hospital capacity occupancy, etc.

On the other hand, in the same period, the capacity of the General Hospital was filled to 75%, while in previous years it was around 42%. Does this mean that patients from KCUS are being redirected to the General Hospital on other days as well?

It remains unclear why there is no reaction regarding the inefficient system of closing the Emergency Center on Mondays and Fridays, when it has been shown that most patients from the General Hospital are still referred to KCUS. This is a question for the relevant ministry, as well as for the Government of Sarajevo Canton as the founder and the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton.

The latest such case occurred on Friday, February 3, when a serious traffic accident happened in the Bare neighborhood, in which a pedestrian sustained life-threatening injuries. Instead of being taken to KCUS, which is 5 minutes away, she was first taken to the General Hospital, from where she was referred to KCUS, where she underwent emergency surgery and where doctors are fighting for her life.

Given that the General Hospital provides secondary level healthcare services, and KCUS provides tertiary level, as Izetbegović herself emphasizes, it remains unclear why patients for whom the degree of injuries is determined on the spot are not sent to the right address.

We wonder how many such cases have been recorded, and how many for which this "shuttling" was fatal.

Although the best solution would be for emergency doctors to determine, based on the degree of injuries and the patient's condition, where the patient should be directed, regardless of the day of the week, no one wants to comment on this or oppose the orders of the KCUS director.

And patients are left hoping that this practice will not cost them their lives, or that they will start filing lawsuits for endangering life before that happens.