SPUS sides with the authorities: Sarajevo, as a university center, must have a Student Polyclinic!

Less and less is being said in public about healthcare reform, a document drafted by the Ministry of Health's Working Group, consisting of exactly 12 people, of whom only six are doctors, and the rest are lawyers and economists, writes the Patria News Agency.

The document, the Plan for the Restructuring of Healthcare Activities and Reorganization of Healthcare Institutions in Sarajevo Canton, is open for public discussion, but based on the actions of the responsible minister, Zilhe Ademaj, and those who drafted this document, it seems they do not want to hear what the professionals or those directly affected by this reform have to say.

Since the public discussion on the Draft Decision on the Adoption of the Plan for the Restructuring of Healthcare Activities and Reorganization of Healthcare Institutions in Sarajevo Canton is underway, and the wider public is not involved in any way, the Student Association of the Faculty of Philosophy held a public discussion.

Students, citizens, acting director of the Institute for the Protection of Student Health, Žana Pozderac, representatives of the Student Parliament of UNSA, as well as medical and non-medical staff of the institute, and delegates of the informal political social organization One City One Struggle responded to the invitation for discussion. Prime Minister of KS Elmedin Konaković and Minister of Health Zilha Ademaj did not respond to the invitation extended to them.

Otherwise, this reform plans the closure of all institutes as well as school dispensaries in Health Centers. The Student Association of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Sarajevo (STAFF) has closely followed the situation regarding healthcare reform and concluded that there is no analysis that could be cited as evidence for the implementation of the reform.

Without analysis, guarantees, and solutions on how the status of students will be resolved after the reform, especially for those coming from outside KS, we concluded that the reform does not exist, but is a synonym for cost-cutting, says Suad Beganović, president of STAFF, in an interview with the Patria agency.

PATRIA: Students of the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo are the only ones active when it comes to healthcare reform, which also envisages the closure of the Student Polyclinic. How do you assess such a situation, what will it mean in practice for all students?

BEGANOVIĆ: Students of the Faculty of Philosophy, more precisely, the Student Association, are doing the job that SPUS should be doing. However, SPUS has sided with the authorities, which is why there has been no reaction from students to the announced reform. As for the reform and what it will bring, it is precisely because of this that we have expressed our dissatisfaction.

It is not specified what will happen to students, especially those coming from outside KS, but superficial solutions have been offered. Namely, the reform is being undertaken headlong, aiming to cut costs for the sake of rationalization, and without a well-developed plan for a real healthcare reform that is certainly needed. What we have in practice is not a real reform but cost-cutting. Moreover, it is a political decision because the reform did not consider KCUS, the largest spender, but it did consider the Student Polyclinic, the smallest spender, because half of the students do not constitute a voting body in KS. Therefore, we can conclude that the planned transfer of students to family medicine teams will overburden already burdened Health Centers, making the situation only worse.

PATRIA: You also organized a Public Forum on this topic and established that the healthcare reform document does not address the issue of corruption, while Prime Minister Elmedin Konaković and responsible minister Zilha Ademaj did not attend the forum. What kind of message does this send to students, but also to all citizens of KS?

BEGANOVIĆ: We organized a Public Forum and established that the document does not address many issues, one of which is the problem of corruption. This problem can be addressed in several ways. Restructuring is more problematic, which will, for example, affect Dental Medicine students, and that is just one of the problems. We have listed these problems in the conclusions, which we have published in the media, as well as sent to the competent authorities.

We invited all involved parties to the forum; Prime Minister Konaković and Minister Ademaj did not show up, thereby signaling that they do not care about students or citizens. Moreover, they are ready to degrade healthcare as well.

PATRIA: Who could and, ultimately, would be obliged to help in drafting a better reform document, or do you think that no one can influence it anymore, no matter how well-intentioned the criticism, and from whatever expert?

BEGANOVIĆ: The public forum we organized showed that the Government did not approach the plan's drafting correctly. Namely, we invited students, doctors, citizens, authorities, etc., to the forum. One of the first conclusions was that the Government did not conduct a quality of service analysis. This means they did not form a team to ask patients how satisfied they are with the service and what needs to be done to improve it. They did not ask the Polyclinic's management, nor did we receive any analysis confirming that the clinic must or should be closed. Therefore, the Government was obliged to appoint a team of experts to examine the quality of service, and then the arguments of a larger number of patients would be considered, and the fact that Sarajevo is a student city would be taken into account.

I doubt the Government will change its mind; the very approach to this reform indicates that things are long decided, which is why there was no interest in conducting the mentioned analyses.

PATRIA: What are your further activities regarding this issue?

BEGANOVIĆ:  We are students, and we are not the umbrella student organization, so our room for maneuver is limited. We will certainly follow developments, contact everyone who can help us, speak publicly, and react accordingly in response to the authorities' actions.

PATRIA: Do students need a specialized clinic for their needs, and do you have any information about the practice in other European countries regarding student healthcare?

BEGANOVIĆ: During the public discussion, both at the forum and through the media, one could hear a disgusting manipulation of numbers. An attempt was made to prove that there are too few sick students. The fact that only one sick student from outside KS is entirely dependent on someone's help was forgotten. And it's not about one student; it's about a three-digit number of students. Numbers are used to hide the dehumanizing act of reform. In advanced countries, they know this, which is why there are entire small student cities (dormitories and faculties in one place) that have their polyclinics because it is the best way to care for students from all over the country. Sarajevo does not have a special student city within itself because it is not that large a city. However, it is still a student city, and it is necessary for it to have a student polyclinic. This is a common-sense solution.