Just when we think that the rights of women in Serbia cannot be more threatened than they are now, a new case of "free will" appears under the umbrella of the phrase "we don't do it." This time it is the case of Marijana P. from Nis, who tried to have an abortion at her personal request in the Clinical Center in Nis, where she as written by Nova.rs, told that they don't do it and that her only option is a private clinic where it will be done in no time." Marijana did it and paid more than 300 euros.
Certainly, Marijana is only one of the women who were rejected, and we cannot have information on how many of them met the wall in this health institution.
Adviser for patients' rights in Belgrade, Lidija Ivanović, told the portal "Vremena" that the patient has the right to address the protector of patients' rights in Niš, as well as to file a complaint with the director of that institution.
We did not manage to get the protector of patients' rights in Niš, which already represents the first administrative obstacle for patients.
"Of course, the patient can contact the director of the institution, but there is a big problem of administration that can take a long time and the woman is at a dead end." The question is whether that institution really provides abortion services on demand or not at all," says Milena Vasić from Jukom.
However, she says, if they have conditions and they refuse, it is a violation of patients' rights. "The law says that you can get the right to an abortion without any justification, and the state institution is obliged to perform the procedure. He notes that the patient can sue the director of the institution for compensation.
Why does the Ministry of Health not send consent to KC Niš for performing abortions on personal request
We called the Ministry of Health, where they told us that obtaining consent to perform this procedure is still in the process and referred us to KC Niš.
The information service of KC Niš told us that the University Clinical Center in Niš currently does not perform, that is, it does not provide a medical service for termination of pregnancy on personal request.
"According to the Law on Health Insurance, but also to medical doctrine, termination of pregnancy before the 10th gestational week is done only if there are medical indications for it. Until now, in our health institution, there was no possibility of providing this kind of non-standard service, i.e. termination of pregnancy at the personal request of the patient," we were told from the Information Service of KC Niš.
Therefore, the point is that patients will not be able to receive termination of pregnancy service at their personal request in that health facility, until KC Niš receives the consent of the Ministry of Health. So far, KC Niš tells us that they do not violate any Law of the Republic of Serbia.
Women in Nis have to wait for the approval of the Ministry of Health, although it is not certain when that will happen.
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