Chaos in the Croatian healthcare system continues.
The “Kolibrići” association has issued a statement, pointing out that 50 days had passed since Prime Minister Plenković promised that he would solve the issue of treatment of children with expensive innovative therapies. However, no solution has been found, reports N1 on January 19, 2018.
“It has been 50 days since Prime Minister Andrej Plenković promised to find a systematic solution for the treatment of children with spinal muscular atrophy. The only thing which has been done in the meantime is that a bank account has been opened and a call issued to citizens to donate the funds. We demand from the government to establish the Fund for Innovative Therapies, which would be financed primarily from the budget and would systematically solve the problem of such patients,” announced the Kolibrići and Krijesnica associations, which bring together parents of children with developmental difficulties and parents of children facing malignant illnesses.
The associations have recently launched the initiative “Establish a fund financed from the budget,” which has been supported by many Croatian celebrities, actors, singers, and athletes, with a message to the government and Prime Minister Plenković. “We expect Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to fulfill his promise and find a systemic solution for the treatments. The best solution is the establishment of the Fund for Innovative Therapies. We believe the task should be given to the Finance Minister,” they said, dismissing Health Minister Milan Kujundžić’s idea for the fund to be financed from donations.
In the month since the opening of the account for the payment of donations, only a small amount has been donated. The associations claim that citizens do not trust the government and continue to pay money directly to the associations.
“He could have told us to continue raising the money through charity drives. This is not a serious solution, and he keeps repeating what he has been saying to us all the time – do it yourself. Our children are out of time. Their illnesses are serious and progressive, and the government must provide the cure for our children. Maybe 50 days seems like a short period, but that is enough time for a child to stop breathing independently and to depend their whole life on the breathing machines,” said Ana Alapić, president of the Kolibrići association.
In May and June, the European medicine organization approved the drugs. After the protest of the Kolibrići association held on 30 November in front of the government building, representatives of the association were received by Prime Minister Plenković, who promised that Health Minister Milan Kujundžić would present a proposal to solve the problem within two weeks.
Translated from N1.
