Primary health care in Kosovo: rapid assessment (2019)

This report describes the main findings and recommendations of a rapid assessment of primary health care (PHC) in Kosovo (in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999)). As part of the health sector strategy for 2017–2021, the Central Health Authorities of Kosovo seek to strengthen family medicine–based PHC and to enforce a gatekeeper and coordinator role for family medicine teams. Currently, people often bypass PHC services and tend to address health problems directly to narrow specialists. There is mismatch between PHC capacity in terms of team composition, competencies and available equipment and the health needs and expectations of the population. Governance, funding, health workforce planning, health information systems and reimbursement of medicines require alignment to better support PHC.