Oncology patients in the entity of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) have not had cytostatics, the medicinesneeded for the treatment of cancerous diseases, for eight days.
On February 20th, the FBiH Health Insurance Institute informed the public that five types of cytostatics are unavailable on the market of BiH, as they stated, due to “disruption on the market”. It is not explained what kind of disruption it is.
They also stated that they will refund the costs to all patients who manage to find and buy cytostatics with their own money that the Institute did not procure.
“I have been bitter and scared since I saw the news that there are no cytostatics. This means that I should have 6.000 BAM every month to extend my life by a month,” says forty-two-year-old woman from Sarajevo, Amila Kasibovic, who has metastatic breast cancer.
Patients in the other BiH entity Republika Srpska (RS), currently don’t have problem with the lack of cytostatics, as it was confirmed from the Institute of Health Insurance of the RS.
Doctors are not optimistic
“The lack of cytostatics in the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo (KCUS) is evident, the situation will be even worse,” it was said from this health institution on February 22nd.
Shortage of cytostatics is a chronic problem
Based on an insight into the press releases of the Health Insurance Institute of FBiH, this is the fifth shortage of cytostatics since 2018.
What do they say at the Institute?
The Institute of Health Insurance of the FBiH told that they are doing everything to ensure the supply of medical institutions and patients with medicines financed by the funds of the Federal Solidarity Fund.
What do they say in the Government of the FBiH?
The Ministry of Health of the FBiH has been without a minister for a year and four months, after the death of Minister Vjekoslav Mandic.
Due to the lack of money, the Institute of Health Insurance of FBiH has been forming waiting lists for years, where patients wait for months for the Institute to approve the financing of the medicine, Slobodna Evropa reports.
E.Dz.
