Within this early year, 20 doctors have requested the necessary documentation from the Kosovo Medical Chamber for departure to Western countries, mainly in Germany.

The Kosovo Medical Chamber has indicated that the trend of doctors leaving is concerning, and within two years, their absence will be noticeable at the tertiary level.

According to the Kosovo Medical Chamber, all of this is happening due to poor management and wrong policies, as there are about 440 unemployed doctors waiting to be hired.

About 150 doctors left Kosovo and the workplace just in 2023.

The reasons for their departure are said to be poor working conditions and low wages.

There have been many reactions from the opposition in Kosovo to their departure.

Former Minister of Health, now Democratic League deputy, Armend Zemaj, blames the current government for this.

“The government has been more interested in intervening and imposing people in clinics and hospitals that have been in major changes and turnovers, rather than providing proper representation and management of health institutions. This climate has continued the exodus, especially due to the failure to fulfill working conditions, especially in the nursing part, not to mention the doctors where their departure is increasing this year unfortunately due to this situation created in recent years”.

In addition to human resources, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo deputy Shemsedin Dreshaj says investments in the sector are also lacking.

“As for sensitive sectors, which completely concern the citizen and society of the country, as you can see the possibility, as education, infrastructure, as capital projects, this governance has not shown the proper efficiency, neither for what they express,” said Dreshaj.

Meanwhile, Bekim Haxhiu of the Democratic Party is also criticizing the government for delaying the approval of laws related to health.

“Failure to approve the health strategy, for three years they have not been able to approve a strategy for health, for three years they have not been able to approve the two basic health laws they proclaimed themselves. Until they have not been able to approve even one law for three years, how can we expect from these people to do something else?”

Two weeks ago, Health Minister Arben Vitia, in a presentation before the parliamentary committee, stated that during this year, he aims to improve the quality of services in hospitals, while he announced that the new health insurance law will start soon.

It is estimated that over the past three years, over 600 medical professionals have left Kosovo.

Their departure is due to low wages. According to data, the gross (taxable) salary of doctors in Kosovo is 610 euros, while, for example, in Germany, they are paid up to 4,000 euros.

According to the chambers of health professionals, Kosovo has 24,092 licensed healthcare workers, of which 14,966 are women and 9,126 are men.