Pivić: The Government will compensate for funds the City refuses to grant to the Center for Children and Adults with Special Needs

(Patria) - The Prime Minister of Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDK) Nezir Pivić congratulated the users and management of the Public Institution Center for Children and Adults with Special Needs ZDK on the 10th anniversary of its institutional work.

He thanked everyone who contributed in any way to making this center the best model of care for this population in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At a press conference held on this occasion, Pivić specifically thanked Georg Schiel, the conceptual creator, and Goran Bulajić, one of the initiators of the establishment of day centers and a member of the current Assembly, as well as all municipalities in this canton that participate in financing the Center's operations, which has 60 employees and around 400 users.

- The Public Institution Center for Children and Adults with Special Needs is in the focus of the ZDK Government's work, as the founder, and we are doing everything to ensure the normal functioning of this institution, improve the material status of employees, and make even greater progress in this field - said the ZDK Prime Minister.

He emphasizes that the success of this center and its work model is even more significant when considering that in previous years we were faced with shocking testimonies about the treatment of children with special needs in similar institutions across BiH, even though these are children who require the greatest attention.

He expressed regret that the City of Zenica does not participate in financing the Center's operations, although the largest number of users come from Zenica, and announced that the ZDK Government will allocate additional financial resources next year, in addition to the regular transfer for financing operations and employee salaries.

- Much smaller municipalities co-finance the institution's operations, but not the City of Zenica, even though it has the largest budget of all local self-government units. This is a very detrimental and wrong policy, so the ZDK Government, on the principle of solidarity, will allocate an additional 100,000 KM and enable more efficient functioning in order to reach a larger number of users - said Pivić.

The Minister of Labor, Social Policy, and Refugees, Antonio Šimunović, says he is proud of the positive experiences and leadership position of this institution and congratulated the management, led by Director Ernad Metaj, as well as all users of the services of the Early Intervention Center in Zenica and the day centers in Visoko, Zenica, Žepče, Tešanj, and Maglaj.

Amela Hrustić, the mother of one of the users of this institution's services, said that the Center is a shining example of working with children with special needs and advocated for the introduction of additional services and sessions for working with children.

The 10th anniversary of the Public Institution Center for Children and Adults with Special Needs ZDK will be solemnly celebrated on September 5th at the Day Center in Visoko, with a program and the awarding of recognitions to "Best Friends Forever".