The Federal Minister of Labor and Social Protection, Adnan Delic, stated that the tragedy in the nursing home in Tuzla once again showed serious systemic weaknesses in the area of social protection in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH). In an interview, Delic expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims and said that “such things must never happen again.”
“It is hard to say anything other than to pray for the deceased and to learn lessons. Unfortunately, the fact is that we cannot completely eradicate some things, but we must do everything to prevent such tragedies from happening again,” said Delic.
The minister emphasized that the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has no jurisdiction over the operation of nursing homes, since the founders of those institutions are cantons, cities, or municipalities. “Unfortunately, we live in an administrative system that we all rightly call a ‘straitjacket,’ where no one has full responsibility, and everyone formally shares it,” said Delic.
He added that the Federal Ministry also does not have inspection authority:
“We are not an inspection body. We do not have the ability to carry out supervision, and at the federal level, there is no social protection inspectorate. We have repeatedly requested amendments to the Law on Inspections from the Ministry of Justice, and I hope that we will finally get an inspectorate that will act both preventively and repressively.”
Delic reminded that the Ministry, after earlier scandals such as the one in Pazaric, adopted minimum standards for social protection institutions, increased the number of caregivers, introduced video surveillance, and improved conditions in homes founded by the Federation. However, he warned that for homes under cantonal or municipal jurisdiction, responsibility lies with the lower levels of government.
The journalist reminded the minister that a councilor from Tuzla had already warned back in September about the catastrophic conditions in the local retirement home, but there was no reaction from the competent authorities.
“You are absolutely right, but I cannot take on tasks that are not within my jurisdiction. Everything that was within our ability, we have done, including financial support for homes and centers for social work that have been neglected for decades,” concluded Delic.
