42 health workers fled Kosovo within a month

The departure of doctors to European countries is the main problem facing health in Kosovo, and their motivation is not only the financial issue but also the working conditions and opportunities for schooling. In the latter, the state must commit to the medical staff going to education abroad under contracts to even return.

So said at the table on the subject “the current situation in the health sector: Do we or do we not have a functioning health system? The scope of necessary reform”, organised by the Kosovo Medical Oda.

A major problem at this table was also mentioned in the flight of health workers, where 42 percent left for 28 days.

Attending this table was Health Minister Rifat Latifi, who said how the minister intends the patient to be the focus of attention.

It is important that we speak openly and become part of the process of transforming health and medical sciences in Kosovo. The transformation cannot be done in office or in different board rooms, but the transformation of health takes place where doctors, nurses, labs and all those I do with health care, given that we've declared Kosovo's health transformation that at the center of attention it will have the patient and that it will be done on the basis of all the scientific data and evidence of the problems we have today should be oriented in scientific research and not just be the science data but that we're the science producer, and this should all be combined with technological developments in all health, not just the patient's data, but all the other elements of the health, he has to have developed today, he said, as he was the most advanced.

Latif also mentioned the seven main health pillars in which he singled out doctors ' education.

“We are at a stage where we really help a lot in regulating health because we've set up 7 pillars on which we need to focus for the next 10-20 years and beyond. And I've warned these pillars several times... I'm not taking the time to get into all of these, but it's important that only one of the most important things I think is to educate doctors, educate our specialists according to the needs of our country and according to the experts what we're going to need in the coming years. So I had called it more think-tangedier in the sense that we should discuss all elements of Kosovo health such as all human capacities such as hospital facilities, hospital organisation, and other issues... I invite you all to be health ministers, so I've said once again I'm thinking of as health ministers, as Kosovo prime ministers, as Kosovo doctor, as Kosovo scientist<1>, he said.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Kosovo Medical Oda, Plerat Sejdiu, said this table is aimed at finding the problems that are happening in health.

He says one of the main problems in health is the flight of doctors to European countries, since they lack the right motivation, which, according to him, has left 42 people in 28 days.

Moreover, he says that specialists should begin to think about them.

We're glad we've given 400 specializations, 2,000 specializations, which is just the latest information. For 28 days 42 people have gone, it's very true what the minister said we couldn't stop, but to stop as much as we can, and believe me that in my clinic, there are 12 at the orthopedic 4 of the best in the ministry, there's been a lot of planning that we've been working on with the ministry, and no one has ever dealt with it... So even young people are running off that motivation is not just the financial issue of motivation, it's working conditions, it's the conditions for schooling. We have very good law enforcement, public institutions, but the state has to make sure they get out of here, because I'm telling you how it's possible to get a cardiosurgeon specialised in the Cardiosurgeon Clinic where there are only three procedures... but we're going to take them and teach them and we have the contract to get them back, and in some places we have the contract that we're going to return” he said.