QMFs in Pristina offered over 3 million health services, complain of small number of personnel

Chief Chief of the Centre for Family Medicine (QKMF) in Pristina, Valdet Hashani, has said that the KKMF, with 17 operational units and 34 service points, including home service, has provided a total of over 3 million and 750 thousand health services during 2024.

Hashani as a challenge for the Family Medicine Centres cited the limited number of health personnel, doctors and nurses, as well as inadequate supply of rewarding material and medicines from the Ministry of Health.

Among the reported services, according to him, 1 million and 150 thousand have been medical visits -- 1 million and 220 thousand other health services, 1 million and 190 thousand laboratory services and 154,129 dentist visits. 351,000 services, including mammography, radiography and ultrasound, have been provided in radiology.

The service report and health visits under the QKMF with its 17 entities, including the 16 units or family medicine ambulances that we actually have 34 units including home service, in Pristina have offered 3 million and 756 thousand and 28 total health services. That actually doesn't correspond to the reported number or the number we have of Pristina residents, which really cannot afford 3 million and 700 thousand services required of me, these services are offered to the rest of those working or operating in Pristina, while they have no place in Pristina. We've had 1 million and 150 thousand medical services, while health services 1 million and 220 thousand, laboratory services 1 million and 190 thousand, and then dentist visits 154 thousand and 129 in polyslinics and in our Family Medicine Centers. And for radiology, we have 351 thousand radiological services, including mammography, radiography of different parts of the organism, as well as ultrasound of the abdomen, neck abdomination, or other body parts”, he said of Online Economics.

Hashani stressed that the QKMF is facing major challenges due to lack of health personnel.

According to him, the QMFs are equipped enough with equipment to provide quality services to citizens.

We actually have over 30 percent of the increase in health services three years ago, that means we have a greater commitment of health staff, not that health staff has increased. The biggest challenge presented to us as QKMF is the limited number of health personnel, doctors and nurses. We, though recently received doctors and nurses, still do not meet the need we have in all the units serving in the capital. As far as health equipment is concerned, it means the QMFs are adequately equipped for offering quality services to all citizens in particular for those in the capital, he said.

Hashani also mentioned that the Health Ministry has had difficulties in providing essential drugs, forcing The QKMF provides its own drugs for emergency cases.

“As far as the extenuating material and drugs are not well supplied by the Ministry of Health, I cannot say at percentage points, but a vast share of our resources goes from the Health Directorate to the very purchase of these drugs that are not really supplied by the Ministry of Health, without which, for example, they can't work, they are drugs for emergencies, medicines for anti-compressives. We actually buy these drugs and it's a considerable amount. Actually, the MSH is responsible for providing the essential list of drugs that we cannot make any difference or any particular demand, of course this is not only a challenge for Pristina but also for other centres. As for the Municipal Health Directorate in the inability to change legislation to increase the number of health workers, we will try to cover ourselves that way even though this presents a huge challenge to QKMF management”, he said.

However, Hashani has added that the Health Directorate has a plan to increase the quality of health services by increasing staff numbers, including family doctors' commitment to the city's neighbourhoods. Such an effort aims to reduce the number of patients for medicine and nurses, enabling the staff to offer a faster and more quality service to citizens.

“We have plans to raise the quality of health services, possibly to increase staff numbers as long as we are cut by law, so that the definition of family doctors for neighborhood residents can be completed this year, since the MSH has made the matter more sensitive. We have also applied that the number of patients be reduced by a doctor and two nurses, where we now have 2000-2500, why not make 1500 of this will increase both health care and quality of health care, but in fact the number of patients for daily checks would be reduced from 30 to 40 to the maximum 20 cases within the day”, he said.