„As a result of Belgrade’s intense and long diplomatic struggle, a contingent of medicines will soon be delivered to Serbian hospitals in Kosovo,“ announced the head of the Kosovo Office, Petar Petković. Petković’s confirmation arrived after the US and EU ambassadors praised the Kosovo Ministry of Health for „timely approving the request“ for the delivery of medical products, but also following numerous allegations made by the Serbian side in the last couple of weeks about a possible humanitarian crisis, with accusations against Pristina.
„Two tow trucks and a truck with the necessary medicines and infusion solutions entered Kosovo last night and will, after the procedures are completed, be distributed among our health institutions,“ said Petković on Saturday.
This official also mentioned the humanitarian disaster, warning that „we were on the threshold“ of one due to the „almost two-year blockade and obstruction of Pristina, which invented various administrative obstacles“.
Petković also added that official Belgrade regularly warned the European Union officials about this during the dialogue, as well as other international actors.
„We will never give up on our people in Kosovo,“ Petković said in a post on the „X“ social network, formerly known as Twitter.
Захваљујући интензивној и дугој дипломатској борби Бг, контингент наших лекова ускоро ће бити допремљен у 🇷🇸 болнице на KиМ! Два шлепера и камион с неопходним лековима и инфузионим растворима синоћ су ушли на КиМ и биће након процедура распоређени по нашим здравственим установама pic.twitter.com/HQySOrjNxJ
— Петар Петковић (@PetkovicPetar) November 4, 2023
The leadership of the North Mitrovica Hospital Center, including the director of this institution, the recently appointed president of Srpska Lista, Zlatan Elek, has been warning of a possible humanitarian disaster for weeks now, claiming that a critical situation is at hand because, allegedly, „Pristina is not allowing medicines to be delivered“, and that at the same time the license for supplying oxygen expired on September 30, and that the supplies were running low.
In the previous period, Pristina denied the accusations made by the hospital’s management, while at the same time, the Kosovo Minister of Health, Arben Vitia, confirmed for KoSSev last week that this institution recently sent two or three requests for oxygen supply and that on the same day upon arrival, request approved.
He also said that the position of the Kosovo Ministry of Health is that it deals with donations that come from every organization or from Belgrade with the highest priority.
„Another request for the delivery of medicines and medical supplies is now underway. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of medicines and other medical supplies. We are working together to get it approved as soon as possible. Several documents were missing when the request was initially sent, but it has been completed in the meantime,“ Vitia said at the time, adding that it is expected that the latest donation request will also be approved.
The head of the EU office in Kosovo, Tomáš Szunyog, confirmed two days ago that the request for medical materials and medicines has been approved.
„Appreciate the swift approval by Health Minister Arben Vitia and his team of the request to provide medicines and medical supplies to hospitals and health centres in Kosovo Serb-majority community areas. Hope they will be delivered quickly,“ he said without providing any additional details.
We were unable to get details yesterday at the clinical center of North Mitrovica about the delivery of medicines, that is, when they will arrive in Serbian hospitals in Kosovo.
We forwarded the same question to Vitia two days ago, but by the time the news was published, no answer was forthcoming.
Infectologist and manager of the hospital, Danica Radomirović, however, confirmed yesterday for KoSSev that one truck with oxygen was delivered to the clinical hospital center.
„One truck with oxygen has arrived, and those supplies will last us about a month, a month and a half, if there is no higher consumption,“ she said.
For years now, the health institutions of the Republic of Serbia in Serb-majority areas were, in practice, supplied with medicines and materials from Serbia, however, as per the so-called “donation“ rule, that is, the Ministry of Health of Serbia sends these medicines and medical materials to its facilities in Kosovo as a humanitarian shipment. In practice, this model is not part of the written Brussels agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, but a de facto interim solution pending the implementation of a more permanent agreement.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
