Health sector support programme in Kosovo - Phase II

Context

Kosovo continues to encounter significant challenges within its healthcare system, particularly in the aftermath of years of conflict and persistently high poverty levels, most acutely felt in rural areas. With the support of international partners, the government has undertaken efforts to reform the sector, with the objective of enhancing access, improving quality, and strengthening leadership within the health system.

These recent reforms have shifted the Ministry of Health’s role from running services to guiding the system, while new institutions now take over operations, payments and the setting of professional standards. A new Health Sector Strategy 2030 foresees support for these changes, strengthens digital health systems and builds a more modern, efficient and inclusive health sector that can better serve all citizens.

Luxembourg has been a long-standing partner in improving healthcare in Kosovo, supporting the sector since 2003. As the main bilateral donor, it continues this commitment through the second phase of the Health sector support programme in Kosovo.

Objectives

This project helps make health services better, more accessible, and fairer for all citizens of Kosovo. It aims to build a healthcare system that works efficiently and sustainably, meeting the real needs of the population.

A key focus of the project is to strengthen the governance of the health sector. It supports better planning, leadership and coordination among the main public health institutions.

In earlier phases, the project helped shape the Health Sector Strategy (2017–2021), which laid the groundwork for key reforms, including:

• defining the Ministry of Health’s role as a policy-making body responsible for developing policies and legislation for the sector, as well as establishing a monitoring and evaluation function;
• shifting day-to-day responsibilities to local institutions and professional bodies. This means hospitals are now grouped under one umbrella organisation – the Kosovo Hospital and University Clinical Services – which represents the providers, the Health Insurance Fund has been established to manage payments (as the purchaser of services), and five professional medical chambers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and physiotherapists) have been created and are responsible for public functions such as licensing and re-licensing of healthcare professionals, ethical issues and  continuing professional development activities;
• decentralising key functions and management responsibilities to healthcare institutions and professional bodies by establishing these new institutions, aiming to ensure that healthcare services are better connected, so that patients receive care that is safer, more consistent and more effective.

The project operates through two main approaches. First, it provides support to the Ministry of Health in the development of clear legislative and policy frameworks that guide the delivery and continuous improvement of healthcare across the country. Second, it engages directly with hospitals to modernise the care they provide. This includes investments in the General Hospitals of Gjilan and Prizren, as well as in the Cardiology Clinic at the University Clinical Centre in Pristina. These hospitals receive modern equipment, new infrastructure, staff training and support for the introduction of quality management practices.

Thanks to these efforts, citizens now have access to better services closer to home – such as advanced heart care, pathology and surgical procedures.

Beneficiaries

The project interventions have a direct impact on the end beneficiaries, namely the people of Kosovo. By strengthening public health services, the project helps reduce the need for costly healthcare services in private clinics or abroad, easing the financial burden on families and improving access to quality healthcare on a daily basis.