The Law on Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases and the Rulebook on Immunization and Chemoprophylaxis against Infectious Diseases defines that, among other things, mandatory immunization encompasses systemic immunization of children and youth of certain age.
Systemic immunization is initiated by the health institution where a child is born, and is continued by the competent organizational unit of the primary healthcare centre where the child has the place of residence. The competent service of the primary healthcare centre maintains records of all of persons that are under systemic immunization, creates files, plans and carries out immunization, keeps records about it, and schedules the next appointment of systemic immunization for the person being immunized.
Systemic immunization is carried out by the same health institution that keeps the records, and if a parent or a guardian refuses the procedure of the systemic immunization, health institution has the duty to notify the Health Inspection Service.
Taking into the consideration that the Inspection Service primarily does not possess the data on the implementation of immunization, because according to its authority it does not participate in the it; in case that the health institution delivers the data on the parent that refuses the vaccination, further procedure includes an official call to the parent for clarification if they still refuse the vaccination, where they are once more informed on the risk of not vaccinating, as well as on the monetary penalties mandated by law.
In 2025 And from the beginning of 2026, the Republic Health Inspection Service, on the basis of data delivered by the primary health centres, has made 158 calls to parents concerning the mandatory immunization of children.
24 subjects did not answer the inspector’s calls to this day. Out of 134 controlled subjects, six parents were presented with findings from paediatric specialist on contraindication for immunization of a child, while 47 parents vaccinated their child in the meantime which and presented the vaccination card. In 41 case parents have stated that they are not against vaccination, which granted them extended due date. If the parents do not send the evidence of vaccination being done after the due date, the aforementioned will be subject to misdemeanour proceedings. In 40 cases parents have stated in inspector’s report that they refuse the vaccination of the child, and were without hesitation a misdemeanour report was filed against them.
Taking into the consideration the intensive activities done by the Public Institution)” Public Health Institute” of the Republic of Srpska, once again we warn parents to respect this legal obligation because the aim of the inspection service is not to penalise the parents, but to protect the children from the diseases which can have detrimental consequences.
