Death of a woman in Sarajevo raises numerous questions

By Amra Vrabac

The death of a woman in Sarajevo, who was confirmed to be infected with coronavirus only after her death, has raised numerous questions, and since last night, those who were aware of her situation have been seeking answers on social media as to why the woman was not tested 12 days ago when she first developed symptoms.

An additional question is why her daughter was forced to lie about being in Italy in order to secure testing for her mother. Frankly, in such a situation, I would probably do the same, even if it meant facing consequences.

From posts on social media, as well as from those connected in some way to the deceased woman, it is clear that the system failed.

"The mother who died, died due to the fault of individuals who did not want to or did not have tests to check if the mother was positive and offer adequate medical treatment. This is a person who worked in a company, the mother developed symptoms 12 days ago and reported it to the Ilidža Health Center, her company, and the medical staff who came to her home. The mother asked to be admitted to the hospital and tested, but was persistently refused by the Ilidža Health Center with the excuse that they were not admitting anyone to hospitals and that they did not have enough tests. The company where she worked also requested testing on her behalf, but all in vain," reads one of the alarming social media posts.

The same post claims that the unfortunate woman fought for her life for 12 days in her apartment with medication and infusions, but that adequate help was missing. Only after the mother's death was the daughter tested.

In this tragic case, there are many unanswered questions.

Why was the woman not tested, even though the competent services were informed of all her symptoms?

If testing is performed based on a positive epidemiological questionnaire, which was the case with this woman, why was testing not performed?

Will the employees of the company where the woman worked be tested?

Will the competent authorities and institutions establish the truth in this case and admit their mistake?

The truth is as follows.

In the Sarajevo Canton, there are seven epidemiologists and twenty-seven sanitary technicians and engineers, confirmed Aida Pitić from the Sarajevo Canton Public Health Institute.

It is also true that they are working with superhuman efforts during the pandemic for more than two months, but it is also true that controls of the duty phones in the clinics and epidemiological services will be carried out due to the large number of citizen complaints, confirmed Goran Čerkez, Assistant Minister of Health of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although those who address us at press conferences persistently "prepare" us for a black scenario and warn that there will be deaths, the need to find out the truth, whatever it may be, remains, and especially that does not mean that someone's death should be hastened.

This case cannot end with the statement that it was "an elderly woman with pre-existing health conditions." Since last night, numerous questions have been raised that someone will have to answer today in the interest of the citizens of Sarajevo, who are already in fear of coronavirus, and of the system that should provide them with adequate help.

No one has the right to play with human lives; if they are convincing us that there are "enough tests," then why are tests not being performed? Since March 5, when the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 411 tests have been performed in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 48 are positive. After yesterday's testing in Sarajevo, the number is slightly higher. Considering the two clusters in Mostar – the University Clinical Hospital and Konjic – the celebration of the Igman company's anniversary, it is clear that the number of tests must have been much higher. There is only one answer: either they don't want to or they don't have enough tests. But whatever the case, someone must tell the truth.