Kosovo healthcare in "catastrophic" state
28/11/2008
Reforms are urgently needed in order to fix a dysfunctional system, a WHO expert warns.
By Besa Beqiri for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 28/11/08
 Doctors allegedly performed illegal transplants in Kosovo. [File] |
Health care in Kosovo is "scandalous" and not even a lack of funds can justify the situation, a WHO expert reported this month.
"You have professionals ... but you don't use them; that's why the problems in the healthcare system are catastrophic," local media quoted Antonio Duran as saying. He blasted the health ministry for lacking a plan to rectify the situation.
Kosovo Health Minister Alush Gashi, a doctor himself, said the authorities are doing what they can. "At 12 euro cents per day per person ... one cannot even imagine offering healthcare services at a West European standard," he told the daily Kosova sot.
But the WHO's message for Pristina authorities was clear: even a limited budget can produce better healthcare services in Kosovo. "Wipe out the damaging elements and start immediately with the reforms," Duran told the television station RTV21.
The Parliamentary Commission on Health, Labour and Welfare has summoned the minister to explain the nation's plight. Gashi assured the lawmakers the ministry is working to improve the situation.
Compounding the problems, parliament has been unable to pass a law on health insurance. A draft law sits on the docket because it would be expensive to enact.
Healthcare scandals have received major coverage recently in Kosovo, especially in the case of the Medicus clinic, where doctors allegedly performed illegal transplants, and the Turkish Hospital, which allegedly conducted improper artificial fertilisation.
Police spokesman Veton Elshani said several patients at the Turkish Hospital had testified about improper treatment. He emphasised, however, that their claims require careful review.
Meanwhile, the daily Express reports that authorities may shut down 40 other private clinics in Kosovo, either because they are performing illegal procedures or because they lack a health ministry license.
Parliament has approved a law on private medical institutions, and the Parliamentary Commission on Health, Labour and Welfare is expected to issue a report on operations at such institutions.
Email to a friend
Print Version 
Kosovo: Impasse at the Border
Energy: Issues and Trends
Changing Perceptions: Women in the Balkans
The Balkans: Going green
We welcome your comments on SETimes's articles.
It is our hope that you will use this forum to interact with other readers across Southeast Europe. In order to keep this experience interesting, we ask you to follow the rules outlined in the comments policy. By submitting comments, you are consenting to these rules. While SETimes.com encourages discussion on all subjects, including sensitive ones, the comments posted are solely the views of those submitting them. SETimes.com does not necessarily endorse or agree with the ideas, views, or opinions voiced in these comments. SETimes.com welcomes constructive discussion but discourages the use of copy-pasted materials, unaccompanied links and one-line slogans. This is a moderated forum. Comments deemed abusive, offensive, or those containing profanity may not be published.
SETimes's Comments Policy