On the occasion of World White Cane Day, the Association of Visually Impaired Citizens of Tuzla organized a panel discussion on the topic “The Right of Blind Persons to Assistive Devices – Where Are We and What Are We Striving For?” The event aimed to raise awareness of the importance of assistive devices in increasing the independence of blind and visually impaired persons, as well as to review the status of ongoing initiatives to improve access to assistive devices in the Una-Sana, Herzegovina-Neretva, and Tuzla Cantons.

The event brought together various stakeholders, including representatives of the Health Insurance Institutes of the Herzegovina-Neretva, Una-Sana, and Tuzla Cantons; Associations of the Blind from Gračanica, Una-Sana Canton, Živinice, and Banovići; the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation in Tuzla; the OSCE Regional Center in Tuzla; and members of the Tuzla Canton Assembly. Discussions focused on the status of initiated initiatives, amendments to the Decision on Orthopedic and Other Assistive Devices, and the next steps to be taken.

“It was emphasized that, since early July of this year, the Health Insurance Institute of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton has been allocating increased funds for assistive devices for blind persons included on the official List, while in Tuzla and Una-Sana Cantons, the amendments and additions to the Decision—which is updated once a year—are currently in progress. Furthermore, since the Tuzla Canton Health Insurance Institute bases its decisions on the rights of insured persons within the basic health insurance framework, it was proposed to submit an initiative to the Federal Ministry of Health to amend the Decision on the Rights from Basic Health Insurance, which has not been revised since 2009,” stated the representatives of blind and visually impaired persons.

The Health Insurance Institute of Tuzla Canton will consult organizations of persons with disabilities during the process of amending the Decision on Orthopedic and Other Assistive Devices by inviting their representatives to participate in the Commission meetings.

A significant step forward is that this event brought together and aligned the positions of representatives of relevant institutions and organizations of blind persons.