Order in RS, chaos in FBiH: Anyone can provide information, media collect infected and recovered

By: Amra Vrabac

The public learns the exact number of coronavirus infections in BiH by adding up the number of infected in RS and the number of infected in FBiH. And it has been like this for days. 

The RS Minister of Health, Alen Šeranić, addresses the public twice a day, presenting data on the number of infected, tested, clusters, plans, and all other details that may be of public interest and for the protection of the population's health. This has been functioning like this for the past fifteen days. In particular, the highest officials of RS address the public daily after meetings on measures taken in other spheres of life. 

I wish I could say that everything is functioning in FBiH as well and that we know who to turn to for information at any time, but things function in a completely different way.

Although the Federal Institute of Public Health should have all the information, or the Federal Civil Protection Headquarters, about the number of infected in FBiH, this is not the case. So, until the official information announced by the FBiH Government on weekdays at 12:00 PM and 5:15 PM and on weekends (6:45 PM) – as if the virus also operates at reduced capacity then – the media have the role of informing the public about the number of infected daily. This brings up another problem: how do the media get their information? For example, the director of KCUS, Sebija Izetbegović, regularly confirms the number of positive samples for several media outlets, which is not prohibited, but should Izetbegović speak about confirmed cases besides the KS Crisis Staff, headed by Aida Pilav, director of the KS Institute of Public Health? 

In other cantons, the situation is mixed when it comes to sources of information, from hospital directors, directors of cantonal public health institutes, to heads of infectious disease clinics or presidents of cantonal civil protection headquarters. There is simply no unified matrix of who reports information on the number of infected. The situation is the same with the number of deaths, those who have recovered, tested, etc.

And again, we return to poor coordination, so yesterday (on Saturday) at 7 PM, the Federal Institute of Public Health announced outdated information about the number of infected in FBiH. Thus, for Sarajevo, it was stated at 7 PM that there were 13 infected, although during the day, 15 cases were confirmed at the official press conference of the KS Crisis Staff, and by 7 PM, there were two more cases. 
 
When it comes to cantons, in KS, Aida Pilav does not provide details about clusters, there is no talk about the connection of the infected with clusters, which opens up numerous questions and doubts about whether suspicious cases are being tested at all, and it instills additional fear in the public. 

It is unacceptable and completely unacceptable that we do not know at all times the total number of patients in FBiH and how many people are on ventilators or in serious condition, but instead, we have to search media reports and add up such cases. It is also unacceptable to hide the truth about deaths, of which there are five in FBiH. Any reaction after death is late, and refusing to talk about these cases is also contrary to the right to truthful information when it comes to public health. 

The attempt to provide information to the public every day from the FBiH Government could have been a good move if the practice of twice a day had continued, instead of on weekends in the evening hours and with old information. 

Furthermore, additional confusion is caused by the orders of cantonal civil protection headquarters, which issue their own decisions, even though the Federal Headquarters has already made decisions on movement bans, so in one canton, the decision is from 6 PM, in another from 7 PM. The Federal Headquarters, at its Saturday session, issued an order that cantonal headquarters should not make decisions until they consult with the Federal Civil Protection Headquarters.