The creation of the Executive Commission for Health by the opposition is considered an attempt by the Government to cover up the failure in this sector. Meanwhile, the representatives of health professionals and patients have welcomed it as an initiative, but express skepticism about the results that this commission can show in the selection of problems in Kosovo's health.
The President of the Chamber of Doctors of Kosovo, Pleurat Sejdiu, considers that the idea for the creation of this commission arose as a result of the lack of coordination of actors in the health sector."I think that anyone who has thought about this has seen the main defect that the demands of the institutions and the demands of the workers and the reform are not being realized due to the lack of coordination and if you see it in the composition it has gathered all the actors... Now we have a the same commission with fixed points for their implementation, is there a need, I still say that if we see that the system has not worked, I think that there is a need, if I had been prime minister I would have dismissed them all, because they have not done their work because they are not ready to do the work. Why does a board not listen to the minister, they should leave, why be part of that structure. If there are problems within the structures of the ministry, then someone must clear the way. I expect improvements to happen, but I'm also skeptical," said Sejdiu.
However, the member of the Parliamentary Commission for Health and Social Welfare from PDK, Bekim Haxhiu, tells KosovaPress that the creation of this commission is the Government's attempt to cover up the failure in the health sector.
"It is the Government's attempt to cover up the failure in the health sector. I believe that you are also informed about the serious situation in the health sector, whether it is about the abuses that are happening there, about clientelism and nepotism, corruption and the extreme politicization of the health sector, which has resulted in the great dissatisfaction of professionals health workers who are leaving Kosovo every day more and more desperate due to lack of support from the Government, lack of support for improving working conditions and increasing wages for them. This result comes as a result of great dissatisfaction and efforts to cover up the failure of the government in the health sector. For nearly two years of this government, we have not had any health law passed that would affect in the least a reformation in the health system, no step towards health insurance and all this has resulted in clientelism and great abuses in the health sector. ", said Haxhiu.
The formation of the Executive Commission for Health within the Prime Minister's Office by the Association for Patients' Rights in Kosovo is being evaluated as the last chance to improve Kosovo's health.
"The problems in health are so deep that a minister cannot choose them, even more so when we have a minister who is coming from another country, who is not familiar with the local reality. In principle, we welcome the creation of a commission, however, we also have our remarks about the objectives that this commission has taken to realize, because we see the health reform differently from this as seen by this commission. We consider that this commission will be open to receive ideas from actors in the field so that the changes that will happen will happen for the better, not as it has happened so far. We consider that it can have an impact", said Kodra.
Kodra considers that the Executive Commission for Health is the last chance to change something in this sector.
"What we believe is that if a government commission has no effect, we cannot hope that something else can be, we are using the last chance to change something in the sector. I say conditionally if this commission will remain closed and will not be open to ideas that will come from field actors and stakeholders in this sector, then we cannot expect major changes. The objectives that we have seen there must be changed because they are not all implementable. There are even bigger things that need to happen in the health sector. More importance is given to the division of the public and private sector, and on the other hand, the health insurance scheme is also given importance", said Kodra.
The executive commission for health was created this month at the proposal of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti.