Torture of diabetics long hidden: Competent institutions have proven their incompetence

The Association of Diabetics of Children and Youth of Sarajevo Canton, at the Management Board meeting on December 4, decided to take all legal measures to maintain and improve the treatment of children and youth with diabetes by using insulin pumps in Sarajevo Canton, reports the Patria News Agency.

The number of children with diabetes in Sarajevo Canton is constantly increasing and currently accounts for more than a quarter of the total in the Federation of BiH. Given that the Health Insurance Fund of Sarajevo Canton, the Ministry of Health of Sarajevo Canton, the Government of Sarajevo Canton, and the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton have been knowingly violating the law for the past year by revoking the rights of people with diabetes, we have decided to send a request to the aforementioned institutions with clearly defined priorities and deadlines to be resolved.

- That the regular distribution of consumables (infusion sets and reservoirs for insulin pumps) begins within 7 days. We are not interested in who the distributor will be, nor whether the supplies will be distributed through the fund or pharmacies.
- That within one month, retroactive distribution of consumables for insulin pumps be carried out for users who were unable to purchase them for the period from July to December of this year.
- That within one month, retroactive distribution of test strips for measuring sugar be carried out for people with diabetes for the periods they were missing this year.  
- We demand that the problem of "replacement insulin pumps" be permanently resolved within one month.
- That in the next 2 months, 20 new insulin pumps be provided for children suffering from diabetes (10 each for 2014 and 2015).
- That within one month, the right to Berlithion infusions be returned to people with diabetes.

Although insulin pump therapy in Sarajevo Canton began back in February 2004 and has proven very beneficial for children with diabetes, in the last 4 years, the Health Insurance Fund of Sarajevo Canton has been doing everything to abolish this modern form of therapy. Namely, the Fund, in agreement with the expert team of the Pediatric Clinic, committed to providing 10 new pumps each year for children with diabetes up to 18 years of age, along with consumables (infusion sets and reservoirs), and for children who bought their own insulin pump or returned from abroad with a pump. Until this year, the fund respected the agreement regarding consumables, but it did not procure insulin pumps in 2010, 2013, and 2014. In this way, many lost their right to an insulin pump upon turning 18. For now, we will not go into details as to why the Fund reimbursed some individuals who bought pumps for the first time or later replacement pumps, and not others.

The association states that they expect this letter to be taken seriously and the requests to be fulfilled within the specified deadlines.

- If our requests are not resolved, the Association will initiate legal action against the responsible institutions for this situation, and organize protests in front of the Fund until the aforementioned and subsequent demands are met. Namely, if you force us to protest, along with the above-mentioned demands, we ask for:

- Resignation and accountability of the Director of the Health Insurance Fund of Sarajevo Canton
- Resignation and accountability of the Management Board of the Health Insurance Fund of Sarajevo Canton
- Accountability of the Minister of Health of Sarajevo Canton (already resigned)
- And from the deputies of the Canton Assembly, we demand that the persons responsible for this situation not be elected to the Government, Management Boards, and other leading positions in Sarajevo Canton.