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The mandate of the expert council expired 31 months ago
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Rimac: We will soon submit a list of candidates
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SARAJEVO – The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e. the Ministry of Health of the FBiH is holding up the process of appointing the new Expert Council of the Agency for Medicines of BiH, and they are doing this by not submitting the names of the candidates that the Council of Ministers should appoint, it has been learned CAPITAL.
From the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, under whose jurisdiction is the Medicines Agency, for CAPITAL have confirmed that the stoppage occurred precisely because of this.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs urged five times
After the current convocation of the Expert Council expired in March 2022, the Ministry of Civil Affairs initiated the re-appointment procedure.
The procedure implies that the entities and Brčko District submit proposals to the Council. Republika Srpska and Brčko delivered in a timely manner, while FBiH did so at the insistence of the Ministry.
“The Federal Ministry of Health was late with the delivery, which resulted in the Ministry of Civil Affairs sending five emergencies in the period from July to October 2023. Finally, on October 31, 2023, the Federal Ministry of Health submitted the candidate’s proposals,” they stated from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The necessary opinions were obtained, but the proposal did not pass the Council of Ministers.
“Such a proposal of the Decision was not accepted by the Council of Ministers, so the Ministry of Civil Affairs initiated a new procedure”, they say from the Ministry.
Zoran Šantić, Ivan Ćosić and Nedim Hrelja, the former director of Pharmacy Sarajevo from the Federation, were on the list that was before the Council of Ministers and did not receive support.
Jelena Medar, Zoran Sučević and Nikola Dronjak are candidates from RS, and Daut Hadžić from Brčko District. According to unofficial information, the list did not pass precisely because of the candidates from FBiH.
Rustemović: Candidate from FBiH in conflict of interest
Although the mandate of the members expired two and a half years ago, the FBiH Ministry of Health is in no hurry to submit its proposals.
Federal Minister of Health Nedeljko Rimac for CAPITAL he briefly says that he will soon submit a new list of candidates for the Professional Council.
“The Council of Ministers did not accept the list. As far as I understand, RS submitted the same list. And we will soon”, said Rimac.
When asked if that list will be the same, he says that one of the candidates will be changed. We did not receive a concrete answer to an even more specific question as to whether this refers to Nedim Hrelja, the former director of Apotek Sarajevo.
“We will not talk about it, when it is delivered, it will be known”, said Rimac.
The former president of the Trade Union of the Medicines Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ramo Rustemović, points out that the Minister of Health of the Republika Srpska, Alen Šeranić, proposed candidates before his Ministry within the deadline, and that the Brčko District did the same.
“FBIH and its Ministry had their own attempt, the minister’s proposal was made by his two advisers and another member, who is in a conflict of interest because he owns a company that deals in the sale of medical equipment“, he states
He adds that in the past the BiH Medicines Agency had little or no support from the federal Ministry of Health.
“The same narrative of doing nothing, not interfering in one’s competence, is repeated. In the long run, such delays cause damage to the functionality, efficiency and better work of the Agency. Proposals for drug commissions are late, amendments to the Rulebook on the systematization and organization of workplaces are also late. I don’t see any desire to change the current situation, the positions are set in stone, and the mouth is full of patient care,” concludes the interlocutor CAPITAL-a.
The management has no official information about the appointment process
Nataša Grubiša, Director of the BiH Medicines Agency, assures that the agency is working and that the Expert Council is functioning despite the expired mandates.
“Regarding the appointment of the Expert Council, the only thing I know is that the mandate of the members has expired, but we are working and the Expert Council is functioning. I don’t know why the new ones were not appointed, we were not informed officially”, said Grubiša for CAPITAL.
The Acute Expert Council has been deciding outside of its mandate for 31 months.
According to data from the Medicines Agency, it consists of six members. The chairman is Vedran Marčinko, while the members are Harun Avdagić, Branko Nikolić, Lazar Prodanović, Slobodan Prtilo and Admir Alagić.
We remind you that the Expert Council regulates the work of the Medicines Agency, which performs quality control of medicines, control of medical devices, vaccines, herbal products, and the Pharmaceutical Inspection is part of the Agency.
CAPITAL: A. Tolj Ružić
Source: capital.ba
