Kosovo doctors' departure continues, cause seen health politicisation

The number of those who have managed to leave has been reduced in the past year, as a result of the pandemic, Kosovo Medical Association Chairman Pleat Sejdiu said of an interview for Online Economics.

We've had 92 of our colleagues this year looking for confirmation that they need for registration in the states to which they run and it's trended as of the past few years. This year the number is small because of the German market approach barricade. The possibility of circulation this year has been lower because of pandemic, and this worries us because they are new doctors, and this has caused human resource regeneration to undergo”.

A large part of us have contacted who have also applied for clarification by the Oda of the Kosovo Doctors. It means they're only accommodated in different states, but most of them are in Germany”, Sejdiu said.

While chairman of the Union Health Federation Blerim Syla said the reason for the departure of doctors from Kosovo is health politicisation.

There are sufficient demands at this time of pandemic that require those confirmations to emerge from Kosovo. The causes are already known why doctors are leaving. They are leaving for a better life and a continued development and education and better specialisation and are tired of politicising health. Our demands are added to wages based on the pandemic Law to continue until the new wage law and to health increase budget”.

The “needs to be careful that all politicians will increase and stop all capital investments for this time because there is no more important than health. Provided with drugs, create conditions and safety for all health workers, equip themselves with protective tools, and have an ongoing investment. Health workers aren't overworked, but I'm afraid there will also be psychic consequences in the future”.

In addition, Sejdiu says health professionals are facing a difficult pandemic situation, adding that the commitment of health professionals has not paid off and that in the absence of protective means they are being punished daily by the virus.

The state of health workers does not differ much from the general state in terms of the spread of the virus to the population level. Unfortunately, the number of infected is large enough for doctors. Unfortunately, we've had 13 life loss on the part of doctors so we haven't been even more protected against the enormous dangers we've had because part of our colleagues are in constant contact with the danger. Hopefully for the best in the future”, Sejdiu added.

According to Sejdiu, there have been times when doctors have found themselves in a difficult situation in the absence of protective materials. However, he said there has also been a lack of discipline within health institutions towards the uncontrolled approach of visitors.

“Tacking has been the same. There were stages when we were really in a bad position as health professionals where the phase-phaza had a lack of protective materials. The lack of a discipline within health institutions on an uncontrolled approach by visitors, respectively, has made the situation even more dangerous and problems in managing the situation within hospitals have been quite difficult”.

Now the Government has been able to offer assistance I can't say that there have been no activities to improve the state in terms of the protection of health workers has been the stage when there actually were huge shortages of”.

Syla also says that the psychophysic situation of health workers is too heavy, since they have never been taken seriously by local institutions.

However, he said additional payments to health workers are not enough, hoping that next year it will find with the new wage law.

The psychophysic state of health workers is heavily charged. Over 2,000 health workers have already passed Covid and are 21 cases of death. As always, politics has never taken health seriously, and now the same situation continues. That's not the treatment we wanted. The Federation of Health Union has taken into account additional payments since the salary law has not passed and has been very careful not to damage Kosovo's” budget.

We know that additional payments are not enough, but we need to be careful how much we can ask for and how much we can achieve. I hope the next year will find us with the new salary Law and by then this extra payment must continue”, Syla said.

In the end, Dr. Sejdiu estimates that May month, eventually June, may be the end of the pandemic.

This is hard to say especially the best projections are May eventually June. The most advanced countries talk about the level of research doesn't have a clear projection when we can get a release from this pandemic. We hope that the vaccine issue will be a larger number that would result in lowering the spread curve of the virus”, Sejdiu added.