Protest of FBiH doctors: Restore union representativeness by the end of May or we leave BiH

SARAJevo, (Patria) – Our basic and only demand is to restore representativeness to the Federal Union and the union of the two most populous cantons when it comes to doctors, Sarajevo and Tuzla, because without this representativeness we cannot sign a collective agreement and resolve our employment status, said Rifat Rijad Zaid, president of the Professional Unions of Doctors of Medicine and Doctors of Dentistry of FBiH. The representativeness of this union was revoked in February of this year.

The employment status has been resolved in all other eight cantons. Doctors from all FBiH cantons, who gathered in Trg BiH in front of the State Parliament building, from where they will proceed to the Federal Parliament, have given support to their colleagues from Sarajevo and Tuzla. 

“To the 1,500 doctors from all over FBiH, we are sending a message to the governments of those two cantons and the Federal government, we are sending a message to the Federal Parliament, to resolve this vacuum and this situation that forces us to seek our livelihood elsewhere by the next session, which is by the end of the month,” said Zaid. 

He stated that this is an administrative problem, and that doctors sign their collective agreements everywhere in the world. 

 “We are going on a general strike throughout FBiH if we do not resolve this properly by the end of the month. If we win here, becoming a factor that decides on the status of doctors, then all citizens of FBiH are winners because they have doctors; if we lose there, then only we are winners and we will look for jobs elsewhere,” said Zaid. 

He stated that the “doctors’ protest is a disgrace,” but that they only want what they had in the previous three years. They expect the support of absolutely all deputies at the regular session of the Federal Parliament. 

Admir Suljić, president of the Union of Doctors of Medicine and Dentistry of Tuzla Canton and vice-president of the Federal Union of Doctors, said that about 350 doctors came from Tuzla. 

“Deputies in the Federal Parliament only need to raise their hands for amendments to the law. Our demands have been adopted in that draft, and it is necessary to adopt the amendments as soon as possible to enable the normal functioning of the healthcare system.”

Dr. Izet Hočko, president of the Union of Doctors of Medicine and Dentistry of Sarajevo Canton, said that the doctors will take all appropriate legal steps. 

“The next step is a strike. This is a fight for the salvation of healthcare and the retention of doctors and other medical staff in BiH. The authorities are deaf to the problems of the citizens of BiH. This is humiliating for the authorities managing healthcare. We are forced to be here. We would most prefer that the state had taken care of things so that unions would not be necessary,” said Hočko.