Sarajevo General Hospital (OBS) reacted today to the Bill on Financial Consolidation and Restructuring of Public Health Institutions in Federation of BiH, stating that they were completely surprised by such a bill by this hospital, which made a huge effort to take care of covid patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, but also all others who needed health care, remained the only general hospital in FBiH for which no financial resources were planned.
“We rightly wonder whether this is another attempt to close the renowned health institution and the intention to stop it in further development, for which the current management has created the necessary conditions. Does this move mean that the citizens of Sarajevo, who pay the most taxes to the federal budget, are not entitled to a refund of these funds through health care,” it is stated in the statement of the General Hospital “Prim. Dr. Abdulah Nakas”.
They remind that during the Covid pandemic, in an effort to provide the best possible service, they maximally engaged employees and all their resources, and that last year alone more than 10,000 patients passed through the covid clinic, and that a regular program took place in parallel where more than 8,000 surgeries were performed last year, and more than 13,000 patients were hospitalized.
“Since the arrival of the new management, in July 2020, more than 500,000 examinations have been performed in this institution and more than two million services have been provided. Tens of thousands of patients were examined in hospital offices, and the Emergency Center is open 24 hours a day,” it is stated.
All this, as it is further stated, required huge financial resources, dictated by a significantly increased influx of patients and services provided.
The costs due to Covid significantly exceeded the budgeted funds, so the management had to manage to raise the missing funds through donations in order to be able to provide adequate service to patients – the statement said.
The General Hospital notes that the mentioned facts are known to the authorities at all levels of government, and that they are even more surprised by the decision of the Federal Government to exclude this hospital from the Plan of financial assistance to health institutions in the Federation …
“Once again, we call on the authorities to reconsider their decision and most seriously consider the above arguments, and thus show that there is no political background behind the intention to help the health sector in the Federation, because ultimately the price of such moves will be paid by Sarajevo Canton,” it is stated from the Sarajevo General Hospital.
