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Lessons to be taken away to help improve mother and child health in Kosovo

The founder of Healthcare Professionals for Peace and Social Responsibility of Kosovo believes a Salzburg Global session has given “great momentum” to the issue of the right to health.

Ilirjana Bajraktari spoke to Salzburg Global whilst attending a session co-sponsored by The Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science, and the World Bank Institute.

Dr Bajraktari said: “Right to health should mean a right to high value care that will ensure that patients are an integral part of the design and delivery process.

“It has been a valuable experience to hear different models of how you engage all the stakeholders, including the patients, in the process of care design and care delivery.”

Dr Bajraktari’s organization promotes values in healthcare in Kosovo and social responsibility among healthcare professionals.

Prior to this, Dr Bajraktari worked with the World Health Organization as national professional officer for health systems and policy. She now advises the Ministry of Health of Kosovo as part of a larger group on population health matters, a subject she has extensively studied.

“During the time I’ve been studying medicine, I have always had the feeling that treating the patients on an everyday basis is not sufficient.

“I took that courage to explore further what ways we could improve the health of a population by applying concepts that ensure the participation of them, as recipients of care in those systems.”

Dr Bajraktari is currently enrolled in a master’s program on health care delivery science with Dartmouth College, exploring patients’ empowerment in limited resource settings.

During the five-day session at Salzburg Global entitled, ‘The Drive for Universal Health Coverage’, Dr Bajraktari worked in a small group analyzing Kosovo’s health care system.

“Our group was focused on identifying activities and actions to improve mother and child health in Kosovo.

“Despite improvements in the last decade and [whilst] much effort has been put in by local - as well as international - organizations, mother and child health indicators continue to be not at a satisfactory level.”

Participants then had to present their findings to Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health of Rwanda. Dr Bajraktari stepped up to ask the minister a question about a topic their group had been concerned about.

“I was entrusted to understand the ways of how you engage in a sustainable way patients in the care and design, and care delivery process.

“Her perspective was that in Rwanda you tried to engage the community from the beginning onwards.

“Instead of going there with an answer on how to solve the issues, you raise questions, which is very much in line with what our country aims to do in its efforts to improve mother and child health.”

Dr Bajraktari said the session had been a very useful experience.

“[The session] developed a spirit of engagement that goes beyond the national level. It’s cross-boarder engagement - a global engagement - that helps us see the things not only from a local perspective but also the implications in the whole society.”