The University Clinical Center Tuzla urgently appeals to the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to allocate the necessary funds for treating returnees from the FBiH to municipalities in the RS.
This appeal follows a shortage of the required funds needed to sustain health services for returnees, which are now at serious risk of disruption.
The Decision on Exercising the Rights of Returnees from the FBiH in the RS Municipalities to Hospital Health Care in the FBiH health institutions, adopted by the Government of the FBiH, along with the Instruction on Accessing Hospital Health Care for Returnees from the FBiH to the RS, has enabled returnees to access their hospital health care rights in the FBiH health institutions.
According to this document, returnees from the FBiH to the RS can receive treatment at the University Clinical Center Tuzla (JZU UKC Tuzla), the primary institution providing these services, as most returnees in the RS prefer the Tuzla Canton.
Each year, the number and value of services provided to returnees increase significantly, while the approved funding continues to decrease. Notably, the FBiH Government paid only 25% of the legally prescribed amount into the Solidarity Fund last year.
The treatment of returnees from the FBiH in RS municipalities is funded by transfers from the FBiH Budget—via the Federal Ministry of Health—through the Health Insurance and Reinsurance Institute of FBiH (ZZOiRFBiH), with which the University Clinical Center Tuzla (JZU UKC) has a contract. The approved funds for this purpose in 2024 total 1,550,000.00 KM.
At the University Clinical Center Tuzla, from January 1 to July 31, 2024, the cost of health services provided to returnees in the RS, including the administration of cytostatics, totaled 1,647,709.77 KM. This exceeded the approved funding for that period by 97,709.77 KM.
To ensure the continued provision of health services as mandated by the Law on Health Care (Official Gazette of FBiH No. 46/2010 and 75/2013), an additional 1,000,000.00 KM in funding is needed by the end of the year. The University Clinical Center Tuzla (JZU UKC Tuzla), as a non-profit institution, urgently appeals to the FBiH Government to fulfill its legally mandated obligations without delay.
