Delays in responses from the state administration, prolonged court procedures, social and health issues, as well as problems related to children’s rights, are the main complaints submitted by citizens to the Institution of the Ombudsperson during the first half of 2026.

According to Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj, 899 complaints have been filed since the beginning of the year so far, a figure roughly similar to the same period last year, with a slight increase.

Qelaj told KosovaPress that the number would have been higher if all state institutions were fully operational.

He added that the main complaints from citizens relate to the lack of responses from public administrations to citizens’ requests.

According to him, the failure of authorities to respond is increasing the number of court cases over the years.

The Ombudsperson also said that another important category of complaints concerns social and health issues. He highlighted the lack of implementation of the health insurance law, shortages of medicines on the essential medicines list, and the inability of many citizens to afford medical treatment costs.

“In the third aspect, it concerns social and health issues. The lack of implementation of the health insurance law has caused citizens to face very serious difficulties in accessing health services. The shortage of medicines on the essential list, difficult conditions, and the unaffordability of medical service costs, among many other aspects. In addition to health issues, social issues have also emerged as a major concern during this period. The most vulnerable and sensitive category of society appears to be the elderly. People of older age, pensioners and others are currently facing a very dangerous standard of living. A large number of pensioners and elderly people cannot even afford the cost of medicines and necessary medical expenses,” Qelaj said.

Qelaj also raised concerns about the situation of children, saying that investigations by the institution have shown numerous shortcomings in services that the state is obliged to provide, particularly in the areas of safety, health, and welfare.

He said that violence in schools is widespread, while institutional mechanisms are not functioning properly in preventing and addressing these cases. According to him, the weight of schoolbags and the lack of mental health services for children are also worrying issues.

“The results of our investigations have shown that children face many deficiencies in the services that the state is obliged to provide for their safety and health. Regarding violence in schools, our findings show that it is very widespread. Institutional mechanisms are not functioning in prevention and in dealing with these cases. It seems that a large number of schools are keeping these cases closed. The weight of schoolbags has been found to be many times higher than the limit recommended by the World Health Organization, which has affected children’s health, causing spinal issues and other problems. Also, regarding children’s mental health, we have found a lack of services, especially in early identification and prevention, which we consider an alarm for the public authorities of our country,” he said.