The initiative to establish personal assistance services in the City of Doboj, launched less than three months ago by the Coordination Board of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities Doboj (KOOSI), is eagerly awaited by more than a hundred potential beneficiaries. The number of individuals who will be included in this first phase of the expanded social protection right will depend on the available funds in the City of Doboj’s budget.
This was among the key points discussed at today’s meeting (June 20, 2025) in Doboj, focused on the topic “Introducing the Service of Personal Assistance in the City of Doboj”. The meeting was jointly organized by KOOSI member organizations: the Association of Paraplegics, Children’s Paralysis and Other Physical Disabilities of the Doboj Region; the Association of Dystrophy Patients of the Doboj Region; the Association of Amputees Doboj; the Intermunicipal Organization of the Blind and Visually Impaired Doboj; the Association of Work Injured Persons Doboj; the Volleyball Club for Persons with Disabilities “OKI” Doboj; and the Association for Assistance to Children with Special Needs Doboj.
“The goal of this meeting is to create space for dialogue on the importance and necessity of establishing a personal assistance system as a key form of support for persons with disabilities to live independently within the community. We will pay special attention to the experiences of cities where this service has already been implemented, so we can jointly explore good practices, challenges, and possibilities for applying them in Doboj’s local context”, said Jelena Mišić, the activity coordinator, at the opening of the meeting. She emphasized that the presence of representatives from all organizations that bring together persons with disabilities, as well as representatives of local authorities, creates strong potential and is of great importance for jointly shaping inclusive and sustainable support for persons with disabilities.
Tanja Milinković from the Association of Women with Disabilities “Impuls” in Bijeljina, while presenting the experiences from her city, highlighted the challenges they faced during the implementation of activities, which were also carried out within the framework of the PRAGG – Proactive Citizens project, particularly during the implementation phase.
“It was easier for us to bring the campaign for introducing personal assistance in the City of Bijeljina to success through the adoption of relevant documents, but obstacles arose due to certain political disagreements and calculations. As a result, even the approved budget funds for personal assistance in Bijeljina were not utilized last year. For this year, on June 16, a new Public Call was issued for civil society organizations that would provide this service, based on strict selection criteria”, said Milinković.
Vojo Jovanović shared his experience about the challenges he has faced as a parent of a daughter with cerebral palsy since birth. As he noted, he has never given up-despite the difficulties-even today, although his daughter is now an adult and employed at the Doboj City Administration.
“I believe it is essential that all levels of government work in a coordinated way to create conditions that allow individuals who need assistance to choose their own personal assistant. Families, who are in practice acting as personal assistants, should be relieved of the full burden that has fallen on them when it comes to supporting persons with disabilities in their daily lives”, said Jovanović.
Among the conclusions adopted at the Doboj meeting was that, instead of treating personal assistance as an extended right, the authorities should adopt regulations to recognize it as a fundamental right within the social protection system. Additionally, rather than undergoing a complex and lengthy process of amending the Law on Social Protection of Republika Srpska-which would more adequately regulate the field of personal assistance-it was proposed to initiate changes to what was described as the “rigid Rulebook” that currently sets the criteria for providing personal assistance, especially the conditions imposed on civil society organizations engaged in this activity.
Judging by the statements of representatives from the City Administration, the Center for Social Work, and the Municipal Organization of the Red Cross Doboj, they will act as partners in the planned preparation and submission of the Initiative to introduce personal assistance in the City of Doboj. They announced their support for the goal of the seven organizations that bring together persons with disabilities, as well as the umbrella organization KOOSI Doboj. Time will tell, the activists of these civil society organizations say, expressing hope.
