ZELJKOVIĆ: 2,200 BABIES SHOW IMPACT OF SRPSKA FAMILY SUPPORT POLICIES THAT HA VE CHANGED LIVES OF FAMILIES

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 27 /SRNA/ — There are results that we measure in kilometers of roads, the number of buildings constructed, or millions of convertible marks invested, but there are also results measured by the greatest wealth of all - new lives, Bogoljub Zeljković, a member of the Banja Luka City Assembly has emphasized.

Speaking as part of the Srpska Loves You campaign, through which the Office of the President of Republika Srpska is presenting the rights and measures that currently form the family support system in Republika Srpska, Zeljković told SRNA that more than 2,200 babies have been born following in vitro fertilization procedures since the right was introduced into the Republika Srpska healthcare system in 2007.

"That is more than 2,200 children's smiles. More than 2,200 moments when someone first said `mom` or `dad`. And more than 2,200 confirmations that support for families is not an abstract policy, but something that can completely change a person’s life," Zeljković stressed.

He reminded that Republika Srpska currently covers the cost of three IVF attempts through the Health Insurance Fund for couples who cannot have children by other means.

"For IVF procedures carried out in Republika Srpska or elsewhere, the Government of Republika Srpska and the Health Insurance Fund have so far allocated more than BAM 42 million. Behind that figure are years of trying, waiting and disappointment experienced by people who want a child. That is why every expansion of this right is much more than a new item in the healthcare budget," Zeljković said.

He noted that, as of this year, Republika Srpska has also introduced the possibility for women up to the age of 42 who have already used three IVF attempts funded through the Health Insurance Fund to receive reimbursement of the costs of a further procedure if it results in the birth of a baby, regardless of where the procedure was carried out, subject to the prescribed conditions.

"The most important result of this measure cannot be found in any regulation. It can be found in 2,200 children's rooms, 2,200 birthdays, and in thousands of parents who may once have thought they would never hold their child in their arms," Zeljković pointed out.

The Srpska Loves You - Love Is Rights campaign, he said, is precisely about rights that change lives.

"Because sometimes love means helping a parent so that their child can recover, and sometimes it means helping someone become a parent in the first place. Srpska loves you," Zeljković concluded.