The Assembly of the Una-Sana Canton is due to issue a statement on measures to improve healthcare after a thematic session held at the end of last year. Proposals were offered at that session, and the task of the Assembly Committee on Health and the Ministry of Health was to agree on the most important measures and submit them to the Assembly for adoption. While the conclusions are awaited, the Doctors’ Union announces a strike.
Although almost three months have passed since the thematic session of the USC Assembly on healthcare, the adoption of specific measures to improve the situation in public healthcare institutions is still awaited. The President of the Assembly Committee on Health, Hajrudin Halilović, points out that the proposals of healthcare institutions and representatives have been considered, and that the relevant ministry has been informed of them.
The discussion at the session focused on improving the organization of work, financial stability and the quality of healthcare services at the Cantonal Hospital in Bihać. However, the Doctors’ Union is questioning why the proposed measures have not yet been implemented. The President of the Professional Union of Doctors of Medicine and Dentistry of USK, Amir Rekić, claims that the material was returned to the Ministry and the Government, thus shifting responsibility from one institution to another.
The union has been warning for a long time about unfulfilled obligations from the collective agreement, which was signed in June last year. That’s why they announced a strike, and the decision on its start should be made at the next meeting of the Management Board.
The Administration of the Cantonal Hospital hopes that the Assembly will support measures that would finally solve long-standing problems, such as adequate payment of health teams by the Health Insurance Institute. According to Halilović, the proposals include improving working conditions, opening a department for palliative care and ensuring 44-hour coverage of certain medical services.
However, the majority of citizens of the Una-Sana Canton are not satisfied with the quality of health services in public institutions, so more and more of them decide to receive treatment in private practices or in hospitals in other cities, which represents a serious financial burden for many.
A regular session of the Assembly is expected by the end of March, at which the Financial Plan of the Health Insurance Institute should be considered, since the Decision on the temporary financing of this cantonal institution is currently in force. The implementation of the measures proposed at the thematic session largely depends on this plan, so it is expected that the conclusions from the session will be included in it, BHRT writes.
