Yesterday, the minister of Health of the TC Dušanka Bećirović, representative in the TC Assembly Lejla Vuković, and director of the Institute for Health Insurance of TC Denis Husić visited the Psychatry Clinic of the University Clinical Center Tuzla. Our guests met with director of the University Clinical Center Tuzla Prof. Dr. Denijal Tulumović and head of the Clinic for Psychiatry Dr. Nerminka Aljukić.
During the meeting, the participants discussed the financial resources needed to continue adaptation works at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Clinical Center Tuzla. The first phase of the project involves equipping the Department with five beds and creating appropriate conditions for patients accommodation.
The Minister Bećirović said that the Tuzla Canton Government has provided funds for the implementation and realization of the Project. It was pointed out that the project folder for the entire building already exists. In addition, he said that the adaptation of the lower part of the building started last year.
“Until now all children who needed psychiatric hospital treatment have been referred to health centers outside of Tuzla Canton, most often to Sarajevo” said director Tulumović on this occasion.
According to the director of Institute for Health Insurance TC Denis Husić, the last budget rebalancing provided for financial resources intended for child psychiatry.
” To assign a health care program the Institute requires certain conditions to follow and meet standards and norms, and of course all those solutions that determine space, personnel and equipment to start project activities. In the last quarter budget rebalancing, the Institute predicted more than 200.000 KM to start that process. We hope that the University Clinical Center Tuzla and the management will succeed to ensure all these spatial, personnel and equipment capacities to proceed with the project activities in this short period of time”, said Husić, announcing that for the next year, an amount of one million KM is planned for the continuation of this important project.
It was also said that clinical experience and everyday work have shown that psychopathology among minors has increased. In a very short period of time, the number of examined children has increased tenfold, stated on this occasion the head of the Psychiatry Clinic of the University Clinical Center Tuzla Dr. Nerminka Aljukić. “We have professional staff, and the spatial premises of the Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry exist but need to be furnished. For now the Department functions as an outpatient clinic and offers daily hospital treatment. We expect to complete what has been started soon.” said Dr. Aljukić.
According to representative Vuković “Two years ago, together with other representatives in the Tuzla Canton Assembly, we visited the Clinic for Psychiatry and on that occasion we made an urgent appeal. As we are now informed, the implementation of the project has begun,” said Vuković with note that the Government of TC will allocate 500.000 KM for adaptation project.