The case that shook Krajina half a year ago is reaching its epilogue. The death of the 22-year-old Adem Jušić from Bihać, who passed away at the Cantonal Hospital in Bihać following a traffic accident on New Year’s Eve, brought the public to its feet at the time. Six months after the tragedy and public protests, the arrests of doctors and medical staff followed. The police, on July 9th, according to a warrant by the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office of the Una-Sana Canton, arrested seven employees of the Bihać hospital on suspicion of serious criminal offenses against human health in connection with the medical malpractice of Adem Jušić. The prosecutor’s office proposed measures; the court rejected them, and the appeal followed.
“I pray to God that this is the last time and that something like this does not happen to anyone, for someone’s child to die in vain, due to someone else’s negligence and irresponsibility,” said Adem’s mother at the protests in January.
Images from the square in Bihać from half a year ago are still a warning. Adem’s family and friends won’t give up. Their only request, as they emphasized, is truth and justice. Adem’s mother, Anisa, recalled the hardest day.
“The discharge summary indicates lapses from about 3 a.m. to 11 a.m., showing that no medical assistance was provided to my Adem. Why they waited until around 3:15 p.m. to perform the surgery is completely unclear to all of us,” added Anisa Hrnjica, Adem’s mother.
Following Adem Jušić’s death, the Prosecutor’s Office formed the case under official duty in January this year. Half a year after the tragedy, arrests followed. The surgeon and six medical staff members of the Bihać hospital were taken into custody.
“The suspects in the Adem Jušić case are accused of committing a criminal offence of Serious criminal offence against human health under Article 240 of the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in connection with the criminal offence of Medical Malpractice under Article 229 of the same Code, committed on the damage of Jušić Adem,” said the spokesperson of the Prosecutor’s Office of Una-Sana Canton, Aldijana Poprženović Kurtagić.
Cantonal Court in Bihać refused the proposal of the Prosecutor’s Office for the suspects to be suspended from their positions and barred from entering the hospital. After the appeal, the out-of-court chamber of the Cantonal Court in Bihać remanded the case back to the Court for reconsideration. The hospital did not make any concrete comment. The Independent Union of Healthcare Workers, however, did issue a statement.
“We truly believe in the institutions of this country, the judiciary, that this will ultimately be brought to a close. But we raise our voice against the public lynching, portals, those who have already condemned our medical staff and doctors without verdicts,” said the President of the Union, Elvir Hrustanović.
Adem’s mother also believes in the judiciary’s work.
“All my hopes and expectations are centered on our Prosecutor’s Office and the courts to do their job according to the rules and regulations they are required to follow. When the guilty party is identified, and if it turns out there are those who are culpable, let everyone carry their share of the guilt and responsibility.”
The defense attorneys of the suspects also declined to comment on the case while the process is underway. To remind, the case of Adem Jušić reopened the story of many previous complaints about this hospital’s work, medical malpractice, patient treatment, and negligence, which were publicly announced by patients and former employees, Federalna writes.
