Blockada halts vaccine in northern Kosovo

“Rocoxing and taking the third dose of vaccine for 62 patients from the Leposavic municipality territory has been cancelled”, she said.

Health institutions in Serb areas in Kosovo operate in the Serbian system, and for Serbs from Kosovo, the vaccine has been organised in the cities in Serbia since December last year.

Thus, Serbs from four majority Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo HINA North Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zubin Potok and Zvecan ) are taking the vaccine against COVID -19 in Rashka, border city in Serbia.

Some of Leposaviqi's natives, who have been refused the vaccine and who have been contacted by Radio Free Europe, have said they are disappointed by the new situation, some of them have said they are afraid but do not want to talk about it publicly.

Kosovo authorities have launched the mass immunization process against corruption in mid-June of this year, but the vaccine centres have not opened in northern Kosovo.

When it comes to the Serbian environment, they are only open in municipalities south of Ibër, Gracanica near Pristina, Novoberda near Gjilan and Shrpca near Prizren.

Just walking towards Raska

Kosovo Serbs have been blocking border points in Jarina and Brnjak for nine days now due to reciprocal measures imposed by the Kosovo Government on September 20th for cars with license plates from Serbia. Also blocked are the main roads leading to these crossings, so barricades have been created parking heavy trucks.

Crossing the border can only be done on foot.

At two border points is the Kosovo Special Police Unit.

The director of the Health Centre in Leposavic, Ljiljana Vukadinovic, explains that the vaccine process should be interrupted because the border crossing at Jarina can only be passed on foot.

The “needs to walk three kilometers and we don't go (for vaccination in Rashka)”, she says, and adds that the majority of patients from the Leposavic municipality's territory must take the third dose of the vaccine against Coronavirus.

But there are also young people who are now appearing,” she said.

Free Europe Radio contacted the Institute of Public Health in Northern Mitrovica and Health Centre director in that city, Zlatan Elek, about further plans regarding the vaccine of Serbs from the north, but no response was provided until this text was published.

More Health Services Remains Problem

Zoran from Northern Mitrovica, the Serb majority municipality, cannot send his mother for medical intervention in Kralev, a town in Serbia, because the border crossing in Jarina is blocked.

Throughout Kosovo there are three hospitals operating according to the Serbian system, and in which Serbs go mainly for treatment: The Clinical Hospital Centre in Gracanica near Pristina, the Health Centre in Pasyan near Gjilan and the Health Centre in North Mitrovica. However, for all serious diseases, patients are sent for further treatment or intervention in Serbia.

Zoran told Radio Europe free that the crossing cannot even be passed on because his (85-year-old) mother is a sick woman and she is unable to walk several kilometers, as long as it takes to cross the barricades.

I'm telling you right now, I'm thinking about how to go and without a car I can't -- 18x1>, this North Mitrovica resident said, adding that other border points with Serbia are far away.

Health Centre Director Ljiljana Vukadinovic, also said there are many patients who are “related to Serbia”.

It's about carcinoma, chemotherapy, about these tertiary therapies. We have transport every day”, Vukadinovic said.

She pointed out that there are times when a patient is in danger for life and when every moment is important.

We went to Merdar the first few days, when it was urgent, some things cannot be postponed. A 35-year-old man had a heart attack, and then he couldn't get past even ours, there are trucks, these are really big problems”, she said.

The border checkpoint with Serbia in Merdar is near Podujevo, about 30km from Pristina.

Serbs in northern Kosovo mainly use border points in Jarina and Brnjak because they are much closer.

Example, the border crossing at Jarina, the Leposaviq municipality, is about two miles from the first city in Serbia, Raska. On the other hand, Podujevo, where the border point is at Merdare, is about 100km from Leposaviqi.

“binding subx1> to keep blockades

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has repeatedly called for the end of border blockades at Jarina and Brnjak.

He called on local residents in the north to stop the protest because they are blocking themselves”.

Some employees in Serbia's institutions, which operate in Kosovo, have confirmed early on for Radio Free Europe that they are “forced” to take part in blocking border points in Jarina and Brnjak.

They have declared that local authorities are asking them to do so, but have demanded that their identity be not revealed.

In Kosovo's majority Serb municipalities, mayors are from the Serb List, the main party formed with the support of official Belgrade in 2013.

From Serbian political subjects, this party is the only one represented in Kosovo's central institutions. /rel/