"SRPSKA LOVES YOU" - RIGHTS AND MEASURES THAT MAKE UP FAMILY SUPPORT SYSTEM IN SRPSKA

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 20 /SRNA/ - In the coming period, the Office of the President of Republika Srpska will, as part of the "Srpska Loves You" campaign, present the rights and measures that make up the family support system in Republika Srpska today.

A statement from the Office of the President of Republika Srpska emphasizes that the family is not only the basic unit of society, but also the place where life begins, where we learn to love and care for one another, where we grow up and where the future of Republika Srpska is born. Therefore, support for families has never been, and cannot be, limited to a single measure, benefit or law.

It says that during the presidential terms of Milorad Dodik, Željka Cvijanović and Siniša Karan, a policy was developed to ensure that Republika Srpska stands by families at every important stage of their lives – when young people are trying to become parents, when a child is born, throughout the child’s upbringing and education, when the child is healthy, but especially when the child falls ill and the family needs help the most.

"For every newborn child, assistance of BAM 500 is provided for the purchase of newborn baby essentials. As of July 1 this year, the maternity allowance for unemployed mothers has been increased from BAM 406 to BAM 746 per month. It is paid for 12 months, and for twins and every third and subsequent child, for 18 months. A special pronatalist allowance of BAM 600 is provided for the third-born child, and BAM 450 for the fourth-born child," the statement emphasizes.

The Office of the President also reminds that Republika Srpska fully covers the cost of maternity leave benefits for employed persons, reimbursing 100 percent of the gross salary paid to mothers on maternity leave.

In 2026, the child allowance for families meeting the prescribed eligibility criteria amounts to BAM 117 per month for the first, second, and fourth child, and BAM 169 for the third child. For children in particularly vulnerable categories, who are entitled to the allowance regardless of their family’s financial circumstances and birth order, the amount is BAM 208 per month.

The allowance for a parent-caregiver, which amounted to BAM 100 when it was introduced, now stands at BAM 651, the Office of the President of Republika Srpska said.

"But love means rights even when money is not the most important thing. Children under the age of 18 are exempt from co-payments for healthcare services covered by compulsory health insurance. Cochlear implants, hearing aids, diabetes sensors and insulin pumps, medical devices, dental treatment and rehabilitation are funded for children," the statement said.

This year, BAM 16.5 million has been allocated for the treatment of rare diseases, including access to the most advanced therapies. For couples struggling to have children, Republika Srpska, through the Health Insurance Fund, covers three attempts at in vitro fertilization, subject to the prescribed conditions. Since this entitlement was introduced in 2007, more than 2,200 babies have been born as a result of IVF procedures, while more than BAM 42 million has been allocated for these procedures to date.

The statement says that one of the most important symbols of this policy is the Duša Djece Solidarity Fund. When the initiative to establish the fund was launched, there was one simple idea: no parent in Republika Srpska whose child needs treatment abroad should be left alone to face the question of how much their child’s life will cost.

From the establishment of the Fund in late 2017 through the end of March this year, 3,629 approvals were issued for the diagnosis and treatment of 1,274 children abroad. More than BAM 45 million has been allocated for their treatment, while the Fund also covers families’ travel and accommodation expenses.

"These are the figures. But behind the 1,274 children are 1,274 life stories. Thousands of visits to doctors, sleepless nights, fears, hopes, embraces and returns home. That is why `Srpska Loves You` is not just a slogan. It is the idea of Republika Srpska that we have built and that we want to continue building," the Office of the President of Republika Srpska said in the statement.

The statement says that Srpska stands by children when they open their first book, with around BAM 12 million allocated this year for free textbooks for 64,400 elementary school students. A further BAM 5.2 million has been allocated to provide transportation for 14,914 students, around BAM 5.6 million for 634 teaching assistants for students with developmental disabilities, and BAM 20.5 million for 662 staff members working in extended-day programmes.

"Srpska stands by mothers when they give birth, by parents when they care for their children, by children when they learn, by young people as they build their future, and by the entire family when difficult days come, and help is needed the most," the Office of the President said.

Many of these entitlements, it adds, were introduced and expanded during the terms of Presidents Milorad Dodik, Željka Cvijanović and Siniša Karan. Some were increased, others were entirely new, while some grew from individual initiatives into permanent institutions of Republika Srpska.

Special significance is attached to projects launched through the "With Love to Brave Hearts" campaign, which was initiated in 2010 at the initiative of the President of Republika Srpska. Year after year, the campaign has supported children with malignant diseases, diabetes, autism and rare diseases; enabled the construction of a Parents' House; supported the establishment of the Duša Djece Solidarity Fund, the first Human Milk Bank; funded the purchase of transport incubators; and supported other projects intended for children.

"However, family policy is never complete. Demographic challenges require us to develop existing entitlements further, seek new measures and strive to do more each year. That is why this campaign is not merely a reminder of what has been accomplished. It is also a commitment to what remains to be done.

So that no mother is left alone. So that no parent is left without support. So that no child is forgotten. So that young people have a reason to build their future here. Because Republika Srpska is not just a territory, an institution, or a budget; Republika Srpska is its people, its families, its children. Srpska Loves You. Love means rights," the Office of the President of Republika Srpska said.