23 health professionals victims from corruption in Kosovo, children talk

They say there is no war without pain and loss, but the death of these health professionals in Kosovo is considered a major vacuum for the health system in the country, which also faces major shortages of health professionals.

From March to ours didn't survive COVID, 17 doctors and six nurses.

Gezim Berisha, who served at Peja General Hospital, as a result of his infection with COVID-19, lost his battle with the virus in early December. Berisha, who even during the war had healed the wounds of many Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers, failed to win in front of COVID-19 and to stand up again to serve those in need.

It's the statement repeated to the deceased's family. Musa Krasniqi, the doctor's uncle, says that despite the pediatric specialist Gzim Berisha had trouble with his lungs, he never hesitated to come to the aid of those who sought his treatment.

He in a confession has unveiled the sacrifice of the doctor's mother, Gezim Berisha, to educate her.

He lost it at the age of 52. It has had a lung cooling, and it seems to have been the principal cause of failure to escape this disease to win the battle. [...] Too much loss because Mother has educated her with her fingernails, as we say in the jargon, working with various artisans and so forth. Father died right after the war, so his schooling has been quite difficult, but his family is a huge loss. Even for the health system for those 13 villages, we have had a great hope of where we will head, and now we have a pretty hard time without a doctor, Joy”, he said.

For 40 years he had served as a physician to the citizens of the Dragas municipality, but Minnephire Beshiri failed to conquer the coronavirus. Muhamet Beshiri, son of the late doctor, says that until the last few moments, he believed that their father would overcome COVID-19.

The 1980s where he graduated as a doctor served the Family Medicine Center in Dragash, sometime in the years of yet83-84, specialised in general medicine now falls into the Family Medicine, and contributed until 2019, until retirement in the QKMF of Dragas. There have been constant demands and has been to the house and to the private administration repeatedly, no patient has refused, whether he was with COVID or without COVID. Until the last moment in person, but even all family members thought it would be over but it didn't have a destiny. In view of the situation that has been the waiting for comfort, we have not had because of the situation, but there are many patients and friends who, despite the circumstances, have come for comfort. Even for patients, it has been very tragic news for them. Although this was from Dragashi and Dragashi is a small place where we all know each other, there have been many patients there and many have expected it as tragic news”, he said.

The month of July was also tragic for the Macula family. This month, when the country was hit by the second wave of pandemic, among those affected by Coronavirus was Mitrovica's tooth technician, Metom Macula, who had served in the profession for a very long time.

With great love, we thrilled the memory of his father is spread by the dead man's daughter, the Sunza Macula.

She says that when they found out that their father had been infected, they never thought this virus would take their boyfriend out of their lives because he enjoyed good health.

Dad's health was good, it was active, but the first symptoms have been easy, not too serious, and we've thought about the worst. He didn't go to the doctor right away, he didn't think he had COVID, but the fact that he came into the office and came with the patients didn't tell them the first signs and we realized he got it. Dad's loss, patients saw it as a big loss, he was a unique professional, he was close, and he was all smiling. Family's been missing a lot, we're missing and we're always going to miss“, Macula stressed.

The chairman of the Kosovo Medical Oda, Plerat Sejdiu, says that from the beginning of the pandemic up until now about 1130 doctors were infected by the Coronavirus, and 17 of them failed to beat it.

Sejdiu says the death of these health professionals is a major loss not only for family members but also for the entire Kosovo health system.

“This is a big loss first for the family but also a great loss for our community, but for the very institutions where they have given services, considering that we are not much, and we also lack, and when we speak that all of us without exception have been experienced doctors of specialties and professions and their stabbered expertise, then it's even greater loss”, he said.

And the chairman of the Infermies Union, Fitim Havolli, through an electronic letter to KosovoPress, has shown that from the beginning of the pandemic to ours with the Coronavirus were infected by over 1,200 nurses, Laborans and Mom. According to him, six failed to survive this health struggle.

“Mby 1200 nurses, mom, labans and health professionals have been affected by COVID-19 since March 13, 2020. In July and August alone, between 400 and 500 have been affected. 6 nurses, labs, and Mom have lost their battle with Coronavirus by becoming infected in the workplace”, his letter said.

The first doctor in Kosovo, who died as a result of infection with COVID-19, was the doctor from Vitita, Fadil Zuka. Of the ranks of health workers who lost their battle with COVID-19 was the surgeon from Gjakova, Ali Tolaj. Internist-Reumatologist as well as professor Sylejman Rexhepi was the third doctor to become a victim of coronary at the age of 67.

Lulzim Kolgeraj was the next victim of doctors after being infected with this virus. Pandemine is unable to defeat memory Zarari, who was director of the Chief Family Medicine Centre in Gjakova and others.

To honour their contribution to the struggle with pandemic and all the work that patients have done in the service, during December the presidential taskman Vjosa Osmani has decorated the health professionals who lost their battle with COVID-19.