Inside the hospital in Ferizaj: Waste, unsafe food, old furniture

Upon entering Ferizaj General Hospital about 30km from Pristina, you face a grim reality: piles of citizens waiting in front of operating halls, concerned about their families.

Many carry plastic bags filled with food and drink.

The staff there is constantly working, and its movements are often hampered by visitors.

“Why did all these people in the corridor? ”, addressed a nurse to the security guard, while the Radio Free Europe team was present, one morning at the end.

I don't have what to do”, the guard and nurse responded quickly through the narrow corridor.

The General Hospital at Ferizaj is one of seven Kosovo regional hospitals operating under the Hospital Service and University Clinic of Kosovo (SHSKUK).

This hospital owns several departments, including: Emergency, Paddy, Surgery, Gynecology, Orthopedic, and so on.

Conditions in many rooms that offer such services do not look good.

Water had flowed from the rain into the environments of gynecology. In Kirurgy, oxygen canisters appeared in corridors, absent the system installed on walls.

The “conditions are as you see them. What am I supposed to do?

Similarly, the closet department was damaged and the walls were not maintained.

“The watchman is fine, but with me he also stays here my daughter”, said Mr.M., who expected to undergo surgery for the broken leg.

Orthopedics have no special operating halls, but they are used together and available two days a week.

In some hospital facilities, there may be improvisements, both for providing services and for repairs.

The poor conditions in this hospital also highlighted the National Audition Office in this year's report.

“In the facility where the Ferizaj hospital is currently operating, the Department of Surgery and Urology uses two operating halls ) each has the appointed days and shares the halls with the otorinolaringology department. Orthopedaline's department had improvised an operating hall but failed to meet the basic conditions for work, because it is physically out of the patient's rooms, away from the sterilization chamber. This poses a risk to infections for patients who are operated in this ward”, the report said, among other things.

The current leaders of the General Hospital in Ferizaj said the SHSKUK is aware of the conditions there.

Principal Fikret Arifi's task officer, Fikret Arifi, said he is making efforts to make some renovations with his budget.

In the SHSKUK, they didn't want to talk much, only because they admitted that the “conditions there are not good”.

“Even under those conditions, numerous cases are handled and numerous operations were conducted”, a SHSKUK official said.

Last week, Radio Free Europe also reported on the lack of biochemists at the Ferizaj Hospital for more than three years.

Arifi said their work is largely performed by labs.

And under similar severe conditions, perhaps even worse, the hospital kitchen, from which patients are fed.

Situated in a closed environment, no ventilation, mold, and humidity, the kitchen was packed with old furniture and inappropriate items.

Radio Team Free Europe saw refrigerators that were not closed and food, such as chicken, that should be stored in cold but left out of refrigerators.

Under anonymity, the staff told the REL that doctors and nurses don't feed from there, even when fed, they only take bread and cheese”.

Sanitary Inspectorate, which operates under the Ministry of Health, has inspected this kitchen and in a response to Radio Free Europe said “hygieno-sanitary conditions were on average good”.

According to the Inspectorate, the kitchen has functional cooling equipment, but it is in supply procedure with others.

The inspector said that “has given short-term remarks on raising hygiene levels, setting nets in windows in the workspace and on better ventilation”.

He did not answer REL questions about high temperatures in the kitchen and how food is stored or listed.

Such problems are not only present at Ferizaj Hospital.

Other hospitals in Kosovo also face similar infrastructure and managerial challenges.

REL reported several times for lack of medicine, uncleanness, long waiting for services.