Multiple sclerosis patients at QKUK, forgotten by the state

In Kosovo some 1,300 people with the disease known as multiple sclerosis are affected. But only 100 receive therapies at the University Clinical Centre in Kosovo, respectively, at the Neurological Clinic.

Multiple sclerosis is the disease of the central nervous system, which causes major problems in the organism, such as vision problems, muscle weakness, and so on.

Labinot Demi, chairman of the Association of Multiple Sclerosis Patients, also affected by this disease, says that the condition of the affected patients is very difficult.

That's because they don't provide proper drugs for these patients and their inability to buy drugs because of their high costs.

Monthly therapy, says Demi, costs over 1,000 euros for a patient.

“We hope that the Minister of Health will take into account the condition of patients, as it affects young people from 20 to 40 years of age”.

“For a very fast period remain motionless, unless treated. However, the country is more expensive if it is not treated, since it remains stable and must receive disability pensions, a budget of the state and the family, and no longer talk about the patient's hard life”.

I beg the responsibilities, so that, according to the ability, they can deal with this issue and raise the budget for drugs for this very serious illness”, Demi says.

Neurologist Nedmedin Shala tells Radio Free Europe that Kosovo does not sit well with treatment of patients suffering from multipleft sclerosis.

The diagnosis of sclerosis is done in us, but treatment remains because of the lack of drugs in the pharmaceutical market because we have only one drug dedicated to 100 patients. The countries of the region have about seven drugs on their list. Treating a patient depends on the type of medicine he uses. These drugs are expensive.

100 patients who receive a type of medicine, the state costs 1m euros annually. This is a high price taking into account the budget for Health, but this is insufficient”, Shala points out.

According to him, if the Ministry of Health separated an additional two million euros, 30 percent of patients suffering from extreme stages of illness would be covered until the rest continued with symptoms.

The Ministry of Health says that covering all patients with multiple sclerosis with needed therapies requires 5.135,000 euros.

Faik Hoti, director of the Department of Information at this ministry, says that since this is a high amount of financial means, the Ministry of Health, based on professional evidence, will address the requirement in Government that these patients be involved in the budget for 2019, being treated in the category of rare diseases.

He adds further that this does not mean that other sources from the Ministry of Health will not be exploited for even this year, except for 100 patients covered with therapy, to include other patients.

Kosovo's “is considered to be about 1,300 patients with multiple sclerosis at different stages of the disease. Of them, about 700 patients, according to information provided by field professionals, do not need therapy, 200-250 are in light stages of the disease, while 100 patients in more aggressive stages of the disease are covered with annual therapy from MSH”.

“The government, according to the medium-term expenditure Framework ( KASH has earmarked over one million euros for the coming year for rare Morbus gaussier disease cases, but given the high cost of treating multiple sclerosis cases, which in just one month cost over 1,000 euros, the Ministry of Sheldetsie will require all patients in the most aggressive stages of this disease, which need therapy, to be included in the 201918x1> budget, Hoti noted.

Multiple sclerosis disease occurs when the body's protective system attacks and damages nerve cells and their connections to the brain and spinal cord. When the defense system called the immune system attacks its cells, it is called the autoimmune response, which also causes multiple sclerosis.