About 100 private hospitals and labs require licensing for tests conducted for COVID-19

About 100 private health institutions have applied to the Health Ministry for licensing testing service for SARS-COV-2. The biggest interest is in conducting Serological tests, but some private labs, though few in numbers, have expressed interest in offering PCR tests as well.

So said Health Ministry spokesman Faik Hoti, who for Kosova Prees, said review of these applications is expected to take place this week by the Board for License of Private Health Institutions.

“Bord for licensing private health institutions of the Ministry of Health yesterday has begun the process of examining private health institutions' applications that have applied for licensing the testing service for SARS-COV-2. So far according to data from this board, there are about 100 private health institutions that have applied to allow for serological testing in these institutions. In addition to serological testing, some of these institutions have also applied to exercise the activity of molecular testing or PCR. But the great amount of apps have to do with apps for serological testing... because it's a great number of apps we'll examine within this week, we hope to be able to complete the work so that those institutions that have fulfilled the conditions can start as soon as possible with tests of”, says Hoti.

Among other things, Hoti said private health institutions that will be licensed would be monitored on a daily basis by the IKSHP.

In a concrete case, these labs are obliged to report to the IKSHPK for the number of tests they've performed, for the type of device that has been tested, for the product-thestent of which country it's come from, and of course, in this report every information should have at the end and the professional comment of the person responsible for this laboratory. But there will be an surveillance on a daily basis so that there will be a full report on all of them what's going on with the” tests, he says.

MSH spokesman Faik Hoti stated that it is still not known how much it will cost to run these tests in private labs, but says it will be interested in making the prices real.

“Prices will be determined by institutions themselves because you know that the private sector is subject to free market competition. Of course, the ministry will be interested that these awards are not unrealistic and those that contain abuses in themselves. You just have to define prices that are real and that are able to cover even those citizens who will go to the private institution to perform some kind of serological test or molecular test. You know that the tests being conducted in the public sector by the IKSHP are free tests that are conducted”, the MSH spokesman said.

So far in Kosovo legally testing for COVID-19 has only conducted the National Institute of Public Health, while weeks ago serological testing has also begun to take place in Pristina's municipality.

But given the addition of the number of infected Kosovo government made a decision that even private hospitals and labs will be allowed to undergo testing for the SARS-COV2 virus.