Kosovo Medical Chamber warns of unreported violence against healthcare staff

The Kosovo Medical Chamber has raised concerns regarding the lack of accurate statistics on violence against medical personnel. Pleurat Sejdiu, head of the Chamber, noted that while healthcare workers are legally considered official persons during their duties, many attacks are not being formally reported to the Chamber by managers or staff.

This lack of reporting has turned violence against medical staff into a phenomenon that is difficult to combat. Recent incidents include a physical attack on an emergency doctor at the Vushtrri Hospital after the physician directed a patient to another facility, as well as attacks on a nurse in the Kalabria neighborhood and at a family medicine center in Vitia.

Kosovo Police reported that 113 cases of “attack on an official person” were recorded this year, though these cases involve more than just medical personnel.