The elected MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Hykmete Bajrami, has strongly criticized the situation in the healthcare sector, describing it as a result of mismanagement and corruption over the past six years.

In a public statement, Bajrami said that the real state of the country should not be assessed through press conferences or figures presented by the government, but through the conditions in healthcare institutions.

She called on citizens to visit the Pediatrics, Gynecology, Oncology, Orthopedics, and Emergency clinics to see, according to her, the shortages, long waiting lists, and difficulties faced by patients and medical staff.

Bajrami stressed that responsibility for the situation does not fall on doctors and nurses, who, according to her, work under difficult conditions and continue to keep the healthcare system functioning.

The elected LDK MP accused the authorities of mismanaging public funds, saying that although around four billion euros have been available in the annual budget each year, healthcare continues to face shortages of medicines, medical supplies, and basic necessities.

According to her, the healthcare system sees large-value tenders for cleaning services, sheets, food, and medicines, while patients continue to face serious shortages. She also referred to reports about shortages of medicines for breast cancer treatment at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK), claiming that patients are forced to purchase therapies themselves.

Bajrami said that the situation in healthcare “has a name” and linked it to corruption, while adding that political responsibility lies with the current authorities, including the parliamentary Committee on Health, which, according to her, is led by acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

“If healthcare fails, it is not only the government that fails, but the state fails,” Bajrami declared.

Bajrami’s reaction comes a day after the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK) acknowledged the seriousness of publicly raised concerns regarding the experience of the Aulona Memeti family during the treatment of their child at the Pediatrics Clinic.

As a result, the director of UCCK decided to establish an ad hoc commission, which is conducting a full administrative investigation to verify all circumstances surrounding the case.