Even though a decade has passed since the testing of the implementation of the Health Information System (HIS) in Kosovo began, it has not yet been operationalized. The lack of HIS is considered to be the cause of many difficulties for patients, health personnel and is hindering the progress of the health insurance process. Patients should bring any medical documents with them to their health visits, which indicate their health status.
The Health Information System generates, compiles, analyzes, and uses data for the public and private health sector.
The expert on health policies and at the same time the deputy director of the Main Family medicine Center (MFMC) in Prishtina, Bujar Gashi, considers that this system is vital for a qualitative health system.
Whereas for the president of the Patients’ Rights Association in Kosova, Besim Kodra, the HIS is the “Achilles’ heel” in healthcare.
Meanwhile, the opposition attributes the failure of HIS’s functionality to the current Minister of Health, Arben Vitia.
The deputy director of the MFMC in Prishtina, Bujar Gashi, in his statement to KosovaPress, says that the lack of this system is making the work of health personnel and patients difficult, for which he points out that it is hindering the release of statistics and research.
Likewise, the president of the Patients’ Rights Association in Kosova, Besim Kodra, emphasizes that the non-operationalization of the HIS is being done on purpose, because according to him, it “brings many things to light”.
Kodra told KosovaPress that the lack of this system brings fog in health, which according to him, is being used quite well by mafia groups.
In order to improve the health service to patients, in 2011, the Ministry of Health (MoH) tried to start the implementation of this system in three phases.
The inclusion of the piloting and implementation of the system in 30 percent of the country’s territory and the evaluation of the piloting at the end of 2014, were planned to be done in the first two phases.
Meanwhile, the third phase included the implementation of the system throughout the country.
But, despite this, a solution has not yet been reached.
The member of the Parliamentary Committee for Health, Bekim Haxhiu, also spoke about this. He told KosovaPress that the non-operationalization of HIS is a total failure of the government.
According to him, with this dynamic, it is not expected that there will be health insurance in Kosovo until 2030.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in a written response to KosovaPress says that a strategic plan has been drawn up for the HIS, which has been sent to the Government of Kosovo for approval.
The MoH emphasizes that after the approval of this plan, it will continue with the projects that are planned in the strategy.
“We inform you that the Ministry of Health has done the Feasibility Study for the Health Information System and in accordance with the Feasibility Report in 2023, the Strategic Plan for HIS has been drawn up, which has been sent to the Government of Kosovo for approval. Once the Strategic Plan of HIS is approved, it will continue with the projects that are planned in the strategy”, reads their answer. /Z. Zeneli/
