About 700 people sought healing abroad this year

In Kosovo, some medical services for patients with serious illness still remain, where in this case they are forced to seek treatment abroad.

According to research, the treatment of patients abroad reportedly costs citizens between 150 and 200m euros annually.

As to this issue, the Ministry of Health in Kosovo provides assistance to treat patients who cannot be healed in the country, sharing tools for their treatment abroad.

Albattris Matosi, media adviser to the Minister of Health, Ura Ismaili, announced about this year's six-month Index for the six months of this year have been earmarked at 5.3m euros for treatment abroad.

“During 2019 at the Health Insurance Fund, the Out of Health Treatment Programme, respectively, has applied 661 persons. The amount approved for treatment outside Public Health Institutions is 5.3m euros”, he said of Indexline

Matoshi further said that patients who most seek help for treatment abroad from the ophthalmology Clinic, Orthopedicia, Paddy and Oncology.

Most of the demand for treatment outside Public Health Institutions comes from the Clinic of Otamology, Orthopedic, Paddy and Oncology”, he said.

As to whether these services will be offered in our country at the near future, the minister of health media adviser says they are working in that direction so that additional health services can be offered to children.

Until 2017, the programme for treatment outside public health institutions has spent mostly money on cardiovascular diseases. With investments made in Cardiosurgy with Invasive Cardiology, doing that 24 - hour service, all services are now performed at QKUK and are no longer spent on treatment outside public institutions. It has already started working that even in the ophthalmology and Ortopedi become necessary investments to increase labour dynamics and increase services, he said.

As many as 400 children in the country are born with heart abnormalities a year. Of them, about 200 need surgery, which they need to take abroad.

The Ministry of Health's media adviser said that soon health institutions will be available for child surgical services.

“Now has started working on the internal environments, and within several months it will be available for child surgery. This would also cause the demands for treatment outside public institutions to drop”, Matoshi has said.

However, even though health institutions and the Ministry of Health say there is more treatment in Kosovo in the future, the current situation remains difficult for patients.