The support staff of nurses and doctors recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic, their employment contract expires in June, but they still do not know their fate whether they will continue as part of the clinics and hospitals where they work or not.

Leonora Raçi, who has been working as a nurse at the Infectious Diseases Clinic for KosovaPress for 9 months now, says that on June 5 of this year, her employment contract with the Ministry of Health expires.

Although there are only two weeks left until that date, Raçi says that she and the other 20 nurses who are engaged in this clinic do not know whether they will continue to work or not.

According to this young career nurse, in addition to the need she has for this job, the Infectious Clinic has even more for these health professionals.

"I and many other nurses have been engaged in intensive care where we had during that time because we were young health workers we had many vicissitudes but we managed…. On June 5 our contract expires and in terms in this matter we have not received any information about the contracts whether they will be terminated or extended we have no information even though we are continuing the work until that date, now let's see if we will receive any information or not… ..For us as health workers we are young in age like i normally need work even though in the Infectious Diseases Clinic the number of nurses working is very small, two nurses somewhere for about 7.8 and up to 10 patients up to 15 the number goes.

The more we were in the situation the more stable it was,

The need for this support staff is also announced by the Kosovo Chamber of Nurses.

The director of the OIK, Naser Rrustemi says that in every clinic where these health professionals have operated, there is a need for their work.

According to him, if the employment contract of these doctors and nurses is terminated, the patient will suffer.

"They really helped us and did a great job, they helped us until these moments when we are talking.

They have a contract up to 15 according to the information they have and we ask I am talking like the Chamber to extend the contract, because there is a need not only UCCK or a clinic, but all UCCK clinics but also regional hospitals at the same time the MFMC and all the primary care because there is a very large number of them who really do an excellent job in the service of patients… .01'22If the contract is not extended indeed each clinic it will remain bad and normally the patient will remain bad because we nurses are for patients and their service ", said Rrustemi.

Even from the University Clinical Hospital Service of Kosovo say for KosovaPress, that the need for health personnel in all clinics but also general hospitals is great, therefore they consider as a necessary asset the staff that were engaged during the pandemic to continue their work. .

“The Clinical and University Hospital Service of Kosovo for the staff engaged by the ministry, informs you that they have done a good job and the needs for UCCK clinics and general hospitals is great, so they are still needed to perform services health for patients ", it was said in the letter of HUCSK.

In addition to the clinics, many of the doctors and nurses hired by the MoH during the pandemic were part of the anti-COVID vaccination in Kosovo municipalities.

Agron Mehmeti, Acting at the Main Family Medicine Center in Skenderaj, says that they have already addressed two requests to the Ministry of Health to extend the employment contract of health professionals who were engaged in this municipality, as the current regular staff is at an advanced age.

According to him, in addition to vaccination against COVID-19, they are also engaged in providing other services to patients.

"Immediately we have made two requests to the Ministry of Health that this staff whose contract expires in June be enabled to extend new contracts because not only for pandemics, but also for the management of vaccination against COVID but also general vaccination have been extremely necessary and useful for us… ..Their contract has been only for vaccination against COVID and performing tests here but due to other great needs have been in all services in that emergency, family medicine service, laboratory, x-ray we often had to probably charge the vaccination work so that these nurses and doctors can be used for other services….these doctors and nurses are necessary now for other services that we are already used to using and we will have a very difficult time without them, so hope that the ministry for the sake of better quality health care, extend your contracts for them…. "We always need, really because of a number of retiring staff, older staff, these are new nurses and doctors, so they are an irreplaceable potential for us," he said."Really, due to a number of retiring staff, older staff, these are new nurses and doctors, so they are an irreplaceable potential for us," he said."Really, due to a number of retiring staff, older staff, these are new nurses and doctors, so they are an irreplaceable potential for us," he said.

In this regard, the Ministry of Health says that they are constantly examining the possibilities of the system of health workers.

"The Ministry of Health is continuously considering the possibility of accommodating health workers, or support staff employed during the COVID-19 pandemic", it is said in the response of the advisor at the Ministry of Health, Lumturije Bekaj.

Over 1,200 health professionals have been involved in pandemic management since September but have consistently voiced troubles over regular non-payments.

/ kp /