Patients in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina left without life-saving therapies

(Patria) - Patient associations gathered around the "Vote for Life" Project have condemned the Decision to suspend the application of the decision on co-financing of provided health services and procurement of medicines, adopted on October 7, 2025, by the Health Insurance and Reinsurance Fund of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"This decision, which halts the financing of therapies and treatments from the Solidarity Fund, directly endangers patients' lives and demonstrates inadmissible negligence, irresponsibility, and a complete lack of adequate financial planning by institutions that should protect public health," they stated.

As these associations point out, according to Article 2 of the mentioned decision, financing is suspended "until sufficient financial resources are secured".

"However, the key question arises: how is it possible that the Government of the Federation and the Fund have not been planning funds for years in accordance with real and known data on the continuous increase in the number of patients and patients on waiting lists? This is not a sudden situation, but a result of years of unplanned and irresponsible management of the Solidarity Fund, the consequences of which patients are now bearing.

The decision particularly affects individuals already receiving therapies financed by the Solidarity Fund, patients with malignant, rare, and chronic diseases, children undergoing oncological treatment, patients on dialysis, as well as those suffering from hemophilia and hepatitis C. The interruption of medicine supply or delays in reimbursements for these groups is not just an administrative oversight; it is an act of inhumanity and a serious violation of the fundamental right to treatment," the associations emphasize.

It is particularly concerning, they state, that the same decision was already suspended in February 2025, with the same justification. As they pointed out, instead of finding a systemic solution and ensuring the long-term stability of the Solidarity Fund, the institutions continued the practice of short-term and panicked moves – until the financing collapsed again.

"This pattern of behavior clearly shows a lack of planning and responsibility in managing public health funds. We also remind that for six years, the legally mandated revision of the Drug List of the Federal Solidarity Fund has not been carried out. While patients in neighboring countries have access to modern therapies, citizens of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are today facing the absurdity of being denied even older medications – the only available treatments for many diseases. Such a situation is not only medically unsustainable but morally unacceptable and socially shameful," they stated.

Patient associations demand that the decision to suspend co-financing be immediately annulled and that funds for the continuation of therapy financing from the Solidarity Fund be provided without delay, that a revision of the Drug List, which has not changed for over six years, be initiated, that continuity of reimbursements and treatment for all patients already included in therapies be ensured, and that a transparent and predictable decision-making system be established, in which the voice of patients and the opinion of the professional public will be respected.

"Patients in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are not and must not be collateral damage of poor management and institutional silence. Associations gathered around the "Vote for Life" Project demand urgent action from the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Federal Ministry of Health, in accordance with their constitutional obligation to ensure every citizen the right to healthcare and a dignified life," they conveyed.