Health institutions have no one to inspect

There are about 1,500 public and private health institutions, meanwhile, the inspection work is conducted by only six inspectors. While in recent days, it has been confirmed by the Health Ministry that four additional health inspectors have been employed.

Ardita Barak, chief inspector at the Ministry of Health, says the large number of complaints on the part of citizens for health institutions, mainly public, adds to the efforts of inspectors.

The November 1st 2017 “has been employed by four new inspectors, and the total number is ten inspectors. This is more than insufficient, because there are over 1500 health institutions, which in this number of inspectors can only be inspected once in three years”.

“Just for the nine months of this year, over 100 complaints have come on the part of citizens”, Barak said.

The University Clinical Hospital Service says how many times interventions are required by the Health Inspectorate are taken. Shpend Fazliu, an information official, said that when no major budget involvement is required, it is immediately intervented on the recommendations of the Health Inspectorate.

Kosovo's “University Clinical Centre and Kosovo's entire clinical university hospital service welcomes inspections from any inspectorate, as we consider that continued inspections affect the rise of quality and overall improvements of both infrastructure and performance of work within” institutions.

The “for remarks and recommendations given that have no major budgetary implications is immediately intervened, while those seeking budget investments wait until the appropriate budgetary time is set and immediately intervenes”, Fazliu said.

Meanwhile, Ardita Barak says it has been envisioned for the 2017-2021 sector to employ 35 inspectors. But, as she says, it depends on the budget that will be determined.

“Trust in increased inspectors' number. I also think that other instruments have to be reinforced to reduce the need for the health inspectorate for any crumb, and I think that the role of institution managers should be strengthened, and to strengthen the role of Odas of health professionals, in order to share competencies”, Barak said.

Unlike the Sanitary inspectors, they have sometimes pointed to the fact that hygienic-sanitary conditions are at a low level, especially at the University Clinical Centre in Kosovo.

According to them, the state of hygienic-sanitary conditions of health facilities in public institutions is within the minimum set standards.

Apart from the large number of health institutions, there are others in Kosovo that operate without license. The ministry says that in 2016 alone over ten private health institutions have been closed.