PRISTINA : Kosovo’s healthcare system is facing significant challenges, with over 10,000 people on long waiting lists for essential medical procedures, including surgeries, due to a shortage of medical personnel, especially anesthesiologists. Kujtim, a 30-year-old from Drenas, waited over three years for vascular surgery at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK) in Pristina, highlighting the systemic delays. A report by Kosovo’s National Audit Office blames both the Health Ministry and the Kosovo Hospital and University Clinical Service (KHUCS) for these issues, with a critical shortage of anesthesiologists exacerbating the problem. UCCK is struggling to manage with only 48 anesthesiologists, far fewer than needed.

The shortage of medical professionals in Kosovo is largely due to low pay and poor working conditions, driving many young doctors to seek better opportunities abroad or in private clinics, which offer higher wages. Between 2019 and 2023, 29 anesthesiologists and 142 other specialists left UCCK. Efforts to recruit new anesthesiologists have fallen short, with only 23 hired despite the need for at least 100. The situation is compounded by underfunding, inadequate medical supplies, and a lack of hospital beds, which forces patients to endure long waits. While private clinics have grown in popularity for those who can afford them, many Kosovars, like Kujtim, rely on the public system despite its inefficiencies.