"The tragedy at the Rijeka Rehabilitation Centre should not have happened and I cannot accept the state secretary’s insensitive statement that it 'happens by chance that residents die'," President Zoran Milanovic said on Thursday after a meeting with members and clients of the Association for Promotion of Inclusion.

The tragedy occurred on 27 September at the Rijeka Rehabilitation Centre branch in the northern coastal town of Kraljevica when a minor with developmental disabilities choked on a piece of food, media reported this week.

The Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Marin Piletic, expressed regret over the child’s death on Tuesday, adding that an inspection had found shortcomings in the work of the facility and suspicions of negligence, as the child had been left unattended by staff for two and a half hours, bringing the entire system into disrepute.

The director of the rehabilitation centre, Iva Letina, has resigned.

Milanovic is calling on the government to take urgent action

Meanwhile, State Secretary Marija Pletikosa has made a clumsy statement saying that the deaths of welfare recipients are common, which has led to public condemnation and calls for her dismissal.

Commenting on the case, Milanovic said: “People who look after children like this in rehabilitation centres have no place in the welfare system. I call on the government to take urgent measures to ensure that tragedies like the one in Rijeka never happen again,” said Milanovic.

“No child in Croatia can and should be a victim of the negligence and incompetence of the social system,” the president said, adding that children in the care of the social system must have all the necessary conditions for a good and dignified life.

“I spoke today with representatives of the Association for Promotion of Inclusion, which is committed to the introduction of order and the further deinstitutionalisation of social welfare institutions. I support their proposals and expect urgent changes in the work of social welfare institutions,” said Milanovic.

The importance of deinstitutionalisation of social welfare institutions

The Association for Promotion of Inclusion is a non-governmental, non-profit and humanitarian organisation that provides community-based social services for people with intellectual disabilities. Inspired by the horrific event at the Rijeka Rehabilitation Centre, representatives of the association reiterated the importance of deinstitutionalisation of social welfare institutions.

This is because the Association has developed and is successfully implementing new models of support services in the community for children and adults with disabilities, such as organised housing, supported employment and specialised foster care, the President’s Office said in a press release.

Almir Misut, head of the association’s organised housing department, pointed out that the association provides an organised housing service for 90 people with intellectual disabilities in Zagreb and Sisak. Such a model offers the possibility of quality living in the community, as well as personal assistance and half-day stays.

The Association for Promotion of Inclusion was founded in 1997 and its activities are based on the philosophy of inclusion, according to which people with intellectual disabilities should be equal and active members of society.