SHAMEFUL TREATMENT OF PATIENTS Waiting lists in the Federation increased by as much as 80 percent

(Patria) - Commissions for issuing treatment approvals for insured persons at the expense of the Solidarity Fund of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not maintain waiting lists on prescribed forms and with all necessary data, which is why we could not confirm that they were compiled in accordance with the criteria defined by the Instruction on establishing Waiting Lists for medicines from the list of medicines of the Solidarity Fund of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina – concluded the federal auditors in the report on the financial audit of the Health Insurance and Reinsurance Institute of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to the reports of the Health Insurance Institute, as of the end of December 2023, there were a total of 1,106 patients on waiting lists in the Federation, with the largest number being oncological patients.

428 citizens were waiting for cytostatics for the treatment of breast and lung cancer, while at the end of last year, 339 people were on waiting lists for cytostatics for other oncological diseases.

The alarming fact is that the number of people on waiting lists in the Federation has increased by more than 80% compared to 2022 (on December 31, 2022, there were a total of 606 patients on the waiting list).

Auditors also identified a number of irregularities regarding the creation of waiting lists.

- The audit found that waiting lists were not maintained in the manner prescribed by the Instruction on establishing Waiting Lists for medicines from the list of medicines of the Solidarity Fund of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, given that all necessary data were not recorded on them. Reports on the conducted monitoring and evaluation of therapeutic treatment of patients with medicines from the list of medicines of the Solidarity Fund were not prepared. In addition, commissions for issuing treatment approvals for insured persons at the expense of the Solidarity Fund of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not perform monthly assessments of individual treatment requests for medicines, which is an obligation prescribed by the aforementioned Rulebook – the report states.

The fact that only 25 percent of the funds prescribed by law were paid into the Solidarity Fund of the Health Insurance Institute last year speaks volumes about how much the Government of the Federation cares about citizens who need treatment.

- Revenue from contributions for mandatory health insurance amounted to KM 203,802,658, while revenue from the FBiH Budget amounted to KM 51,650,000, which represents only 25% of the funds that should have been paid from the FBiH Budget in accordance with the Law on Health Insurance. Although the Institute has taken steps towards the competent ministry, the Federal Ministry of Finance, and the FBiH Government regarding the provision of the required amount of funds from the FBiH Budget for the financing of the Solidarity Fund, the funds for its financing in the legally prescribed amount were not provided in 2023 either – auditors point out.

It is also unbelievable that the Health Insurance and Reinsurance Institute of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is managed by a temporary Management Board appointed in 2015 for three months, i.e., until the final appointment procedure is completed.

Until June 21, 2023, the temporary Management Board of the Health Insurance Institute acted with the following composition: President Snježana Bodnaruk (relevant Ministry) and members: Berislav Živković (Posavina Canton), Vesna Ferković (Tuzla Canton), Antonijo Vujica (Herzegovina-Neretva Canton), Anđelko Mikulić (West Herzegovina Canton), Sandra Vegar-Zubović (Sarajevo Canton), Azra Suljić (Una-Sana Canton), Emir Sijerčić (Bosnia-Podrinje Canton), Haša Begić (Zenica-Doboj Canton), Dragan Solomun (Central Bosnia Canton), and Darko Čondrić (Canton 10).

Čondrić submitted an irrevocable resignation in March 2020, and the FBiH Government only made a decision on July 21, 2023, to relieve him of his duties and temporarily appoint a new member of the Management Board, Dinko Babić. However, although proposed members from all cantons were nominated, a new Management Board of the Institute has not yet been appointed.

(Slobodna Bosna)