Kosovars discriminated against in healthcare

Citizens do not have equal access to services that public health institutions offer, say representatives of the Association for the Rights of Patients in Kosovo.

The cases reported at this association have been largely changing patient waiting lists that have had the term for surgery, lack of essential drugs, but also not equal access to patients outside public health institutions.

So said Besim Kodra, director of the Association for Patients' Rights.

There have been complaints from patients about the essential drug list, about the waiting list, which some are left to wait, and some are given over. So this shows that they don't have an equal access”.

Then the biggest problem I see is the fund for treatment abroad. We had complaints that some were sent abroad and others were not. Cases have come to the complaints office when patients on the list for surgery, removed, and someone else has been introduced. So it's not the same approach between patients”, Kodra said.

Health Minister Uran Ismaili himself has declared for Radio Free Europe that access to quality health services is not satisfactory.

But, according to him, it is currently being worked towards improving the situation.

With access to this approach, we mean that only to empower primary medicine, as well as to consider the quality of services so that we don't have the situations that exist today that people in the medical service, without having to have people known, if they have easy non-disciplinary, fair access to and receive their well-deserved service”.

“I'm not satisfied with this indicator and the change will be created by increasing investment, management system change and then we'll see where the impasse is and what's the factor that's causing the impasse. It's the human factor that doesn't want to do its job, or it's a lack of a certain device that we're going to buy, or if we don't have a permit doctor, we're going to train”, Ismaili declared.

Meanwhile, from the World Health Organization office in Kosovo, they say the health situation, of course, requires improvement.

Ardita Tahirukaj, leader of the WHO office, has stated that the purpose of the health system will have to be general health coverage, which means that all people can access quality health services where and when they need them, without facing financial difficulties.

This, as Tahirukaj says, is basic human right, a vision WHO has followed in partnership with states since its founding 70 years ago.

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We all benefit in the social, economic and environmental aspect from a world that targets health for all. It is time to jointly accelerate our efforts to achieve the common goal of general health coverage in Kosovo”, she has stressed.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has spoken of the situation in the field of health. He has declared that he sees the current state of health as disturbing and has invited all partners, locals and international ones to help improve this sector.