Many young people are changing the profession and going to nursing to get out of the country, they say from OIC.

The owner of the Kosovo Nurses' House (OIK), Nexmije Gori, has indicated that during just the first six months of this year, Oda has issued 286 nurses' licenses, certificates that serve them for employment abroad.

According to Gori, the number of nurses leaving the country has increased greatly, especially in the last two years, and if it continues with this trend, the country risks remaining without nurses. In fact, she has said that many youths especially go to nursing, from another profession, as their fastest way out of the country.

And to stop such a phenomenon, Gori has said that wages should increase and improve the working conditions of this profession, which she considers very important because “are nurses for those who stay 24 hours with patients”.

She has also received criticism from the new Law of the Salaries because she has accepted many complaints from nurses about the law, especially for low wages and no payment of night custody paid to other health professionals.

“Emigration is on the trend and nurses are demanding untapped licenses and confirmation of the ethical code to be employed in other countries. The migration has begun, according to our statistics, since 2019 with a smaller influx. There has been an increase year after year, but it has grown to 2022 and 2023. This year, we've issued 286 licenses for the first six months. This gives a clear number to all nurses who have left the country”.

Many young people are changing the profession and going to nursing because they have found this to be the shortest way to reach the countries of the region or even wider”.

“Trade is starting and continuing, in the near future, our country will lack such quarts. I hope there's a solution to”, Gori said.

Gori has said that under the Law of the Salaries, they have expected nurses to increase wages, rate “aty where they deserve”, and be paid overnight shifts.

She has said they are expecting changes in this law and that with prices raised, the nurses' salaries are very low.

“As far as the Law of the Salaries is concerned, expectations have been much greater, and there have been more and more complaints every day. We're waiting for a change of”.

We've also expected nurses to have a dignified salary and to be ranked where they deserve it because the nurse's profession is not just a profession but it's a mission that has 24 hours contact with the patient. The payments are not dignified, there is no standing up. When we talk about night shifts, they haven't moved. With the change of collective contract gone so much, which in the end is that they are paid the same as money, as after the Law of the Salaries”, she said of EO.

With prices raised in mind, it is impossible for a nurse with the salary she receives in Kosovo to support her family and not to talk about other things”.

These complaints, OIC's chairwoman has said they are headed into competent bodies, but have not yet received answers.

We've addressed nurses' complaints to the competent bodies, but we haven't received any answers. The main mechanism for reducing the evacuation of nurses is job creation, improving conditions, improving the wage growth cofficiency”.

“Sic is seeing the flow, the risk is high to remain without nurses. Let's not say we're going to be left without nurses at all, but we're going to be left out of it”, she says.

While talking about co-operation with the Kosovo University Clinical Hospital Service ( Sa SKUK), she has said they have received the promise that soon the nurses' office at KKUK, which is closed.

“Today, we were at a inauguration meeting of the CEO of ShSKUK and presented the problems to the nurse and are very grateful for the expectations and promises of the new director. According to the conversation we conducted, a managerial structure office within KKUK will soon be returned. Co-operation between Oda and SKKKUK has been good since the beginning, and it is continuing further”.

Regarding the nurses' complaints, Leonora Bakija, vice president of OIC and chief nurse of the QKMF in Gjakova, has also spoken.

She has said that the nurses' main complaints are unfair classification in the new Law of Salaries, payment of custody, paying jobs on the ground, and for higher sensitivity jobs.

I'm speaking in the quality of the top nurse, knowing closely the complaints and problems that nurses have. Mostly what is most of concern to them is the unfair classification of the new Law of the Salaries, as well as the payment of stewards”.

She has said nurses are discriminated against by custody salaries compared to other health professionals to whom custody is paid.

“Infermies are discriminated against by custody salaries compared to other health professionals. For example, in health institutions they work as a team, the doctor is paid a higher rate, while the nurse is not paid. Work on the ground is also important to pay, and more sensitive jobs, such as intensiveness and job risk, are not paid. So Oda constantly makes complaints and requests to fix these cases”, Bakija said.