Kadić: The Fund is in a deadlock, no one is signing documents

Health Insurance Fund Director Vuk Kadić told Pobjeda that the Fund is currently operating in a deadlock - neither he nor Acting Director Aleksandar Ružić is signing documents, the newspaper Pobjeda reports.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Health Insurance Fund, Marko Tomašević, told Pobjeda that he had scheduled a session for Tuesday (May 5), at which the Board would decide how to act upon the Administrative Court’s ruling, but Director Vuk Kadić says he was not aware of it.

- I consider this a very irresponsible act - Kadić said.

He stated that after the final decision, the Administrative Court ruling was issued, he came to work the very next day in the capacity of director.

- As a responsible individual and professional, I am doing so this week as well, and I will continue to do so as long as my mandate lasts - Kadić told Pobjeda.

He explained that due to technical procedures he is still not signing documents, but that Ružić cannot do so either.

- According to the law, an acting director is appointed until a director is named, and with this ruling, the decision on my appointment is effectively reinstated, meaning my mandate is still ongoing - Kadić explained.

The HIF Board of Directors appointed Dr. Vuk Kadić as director on February 9, 2023, for a five-year term. Prior to that, he had served as acting director since June 15, 2022. On November 6, 2025, the Board adopted a decision on his dismissal, which has now been annulled by the Administrative Court as unlawful.

- The Health Insurance Fund is currently in a kind of blockade - he said, adding that he expects the Board, at its May 5 session, to primarily take into account the final ruling of the Administrative Court, the Law on Civil Servants under which he was appointed for a five-year term, and the Law on Mandatory Health Insurance, which strictly defines the conditions for the Fund’s director.

- This means they are obliged to act with due care, in accordance with the principles of conscientiousness and legality, and to adhere to the letter of the law - Kadić said.

Responding to Ružić’s claims that he and associates had requested documentation from employees on Friday, Kadić said that, as the legitimate director, he had requested documentation he deemed important for the Fund’s operations and future functioning, as well as to review how the institution had operated in the previous period.

Board Chairman Marko Tomašević told Pobjeda that he scheduled the session in accordance with the Board’s Rules of Procedure.

- In line with the Rules of Procedure of the Board of Directors of the Health Insurance Fund, I have scheduled a session for Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at which the Board will determine how to proceed following the ruling of the Administrative Court of Montenegro. The public will be informed of the decisions made at the session in order to ensure accurate and transparent information - Tomašević said.

Ružić previously told Vijesti that he is conscientiously performing his duties until a new Board decision is made, as he has not received any notification from the Board regarding the termination of his mandate.

He did not respond to Pobjeda’s request for comment on the newly arisen situation at the HIF.

What the Court established

In a ruling dated March 24, 2026, the Administrative Court upheld Kadić’s lawsuit and annulled the Board’s decision from November 6, 2025.

The Court found that Kadić had been appointed director in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees relating to the appointment of heads of administrative bodies, and that his salary had been determined based on the coefficient prescribed for such a position.

The Court therefore considered unclear and insufficiently reasoned the Board’s conclusion that these legal provisions do not apply to the dismissal of a director, especially given that the same law regulates grounds for dismissal and disciplinary responsibility for serious breaches of official duty. As another key deficiency, the Court identified a violation of administrative procedure rules, noting that the reasoning of the decision did not demonstrate that the matter had been resolved in a lawful and comprehensive manner.

The ruling orders the Board to adopt a new, lawful decision in a repeated procedure.

Timeline

The issue of Kadić’s dismissal was raised in October 2025, following several days of medicine shortages and his warnings that the HIF lacked sufficient funds for procurement. The Government eventually approved an additional €30 million.

The initiative for his dismissal was first launched on October 17, but the Board session was not held at that time, as three members refused to participate. It was also established that the entire Board’s mandate had expired back in February 2025.

On October 24, the Government formed a new Board of Directors. At the November 6 session, four out of six present members voted in favor of dismissing Kadić, one abstained, one voted against, and the representative of the Employers’ Union did not attend. The formal reason cited was the signing of contracts with healthcare institutions abroad. The Court found that approval from the Ministry of Health had not been obtained for 35 out of 37 such contracts. Aleksandar Ružić was appointed acting director.

Kadić defended his practice by claiming that no previous director of the Fund had obtained written approval from the Ministry of Health every year, and that the Ministry had always been informed of all actions. Immediately after his dismissal, he announced a lawsuit before the Administrative Court and criminal complaints against Tomašević and Deputy Chair Milena Roganović.