As the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) approaches the final stage of its transformation into a fully-fledged army, one crucial gap remains: the lack of a military hospital. Two years before the end of this process, KSF members are still forced to seek treatment outside military structures for more serious health cases. “When we need more advanced treatment, we go to public or private hospitals,” a KSF member tells Radio Free Europe, speaking on condition of anonymity. He explains that first aid and basic services are provided within the barracks, while the Medical Center at the “Adem Jashari” Barracks in Pristina remains the most advanced medical facility within the force. However, for more serious cases, options are limited. “The lack of a military hospital is a topic that is often discussed among us, especially for long-term or more serious cases,” he adds.
CAPACITIES GROWING, INFRASTRUCTURE IN STALLMENT
The transformation of the KSF into an army, launched in 2018, envisages that by 2028 this force will have over 7.500 members, including 5.000 active troops – a target that, according to the Ministry of Defense, has already been achieved. This transformation includes not only increasing the number of soldiers, but also building new operational capacities, such as: armament, training and participation in international missions. But, while military capacities grow, the supporting infrastructure does not seem to follow the same pace.
Acting Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci briefly told Radio Free Europe that the KSF is developing its medical capabilities based on the model of the American military medical system, but did not provide further details. “The KSF has a medical center, which has the capacity to provide primary medical services and some specialist services,” he said, adding that the center also has infrastructural space for hospitalization.
For the former commander of the KSF, Kadri Kastrati, the construction of a military hospital at this stage of the force’s development is essential. “The state must advance medical services, as the countries of the Region and Europe have,” he tells Radio Free Europe. According to him, the Medical Center at the “Adem Jashari” Barracks was built precisely with the idea of transforming it into a military hospital in the future. The basic infrastructure exists, but investments in personnel and equipment are lacking. “This can be achieved if there is political will,” Kastrati adds to Radio Free Europe.
Security expert Ismet Ibishi, who also served as deputy minister of internal affairs, says that a military hospital is the standard of a modern army. According to him, the presence of medical personnel in military operations is essential, not only for treatment, but also for increasing the safety and morale of troops. “Even in exercises, soldiers can get injured, and even more so in war zones,” he tells Radio Free Europe.
EXISTING CAPACITIES AND TECHNICAL CHALLENGES
According to the former director of the KSF Medical Center, Shkelzen Sylaj, the current facility at the “Adem Jashari” Barracks has space and capacity for about 60 beds, but remains understaffed with modern equipment and specialized staff. He mentions the need for various devices, such as magnetic resonance, CT scanners and advanced laboratories, as well as for staff organized for 24-hour service.
“The hospital system means 24-hour service, and for this you need several specialists for each profile,” Sylaj tells Radio Free Europe. He adds that Kosovo has sufficient medical staff – from orthopedists, internists, cardiologists to ophthalmologists – but that making a military hospital functional requires high costs and a new organizational structure.
UNLIMITED PROMISES AND LACK OF TRANSPARENCY
The establishment of such an institution has also been mentioned at the highest state level. In December 2023, the then President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, stated that this project is part of a state program that provides health services up to the tertiary level for military personnel, police officers and their families. However, the institutions have not provided concrete details about the deadlines or phase of the project’s implementation. Meanwhile, in the Defense Strategy 2023, this project is not mentioned at all.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty requested clarifications from the Office of the President, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Defense and the KSF, but by the time of publication of this article, it had not received a response. The KSF also rejected the request for a visit to the Medical Center at the “Adem Jashari” Barracks, citing planned commitments. The Ministry of Health also did not provide an answer regarding the possible capacities for support, in the event of the functioning of a military hospital. And, in the annual report of the Ministry of Defense for 2024, it is stated that, in cases of specialized treatments abroad, the KSF cooperates with the GATA medical institution in Ankara, Turkey.
THE NEED THAT GROWS WITH MISSIONS ABROAD
The need for advanced medical capabilities has become more urgent with the involvement of the KSF in international missions. Most recently, some of its members have been engaged in a stabilization mission in Gaza, under the mandate of the United Nations. A team to verify the situation on the ground was sent there in late April, however, Radio Free Europe has not been able to confirm whether medical personnel were also sent with those forces – which adds to the dilemmas over medical support on the ground.
According to expert Ibishi, the presence of medical teams in military operations abroad significantly strengthens the troops’ sense of security and stability. “From my experience in three wars – that of Slovenia, Croatia and the last one in Kosovo – as a soldier, with all that experience, I felt much better and safer when we had medical personnel nearby,” he says.
OFFICIALS’ SAFETY AND Latest TREATMENT
According to Kastrati, the military hospital would also serve for security reasons for heads of state and senior security structures. “Maximum security is guaranteed within the barracks,” he says. Currently, senior officials are treated at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCK), which confirms that there are no separate wards for them or for members of the KSF. “All patients are treated in the relevant wards, based on their health condition and medical needs,” the UCK said in a response to Radio Free Europe. It also notes that, in certain cases, additional security measures may be required from the Kosovo Police.
REGION AHEAD OF KOSOVO
Unlike Kosovo, the countries of the Region have built up proper military medical structures. In Albania, the Central University Military Hospital has been operating since 1993, providing specialized services for both military personnel and civilians. Serbia has one of the largest military hospitals in the Region, with extensive infrastructural and organizational capacities.
Meanwhile, in North Macedonia, the Military Medical Center operates, which provides services at several levels. The Office of the Spokesperson of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia confirms to Radio Free Europe that this center cooperates with the public health system for more advanced treatments. With the doctrine of NATO, which Kosovo aims to join, military medical support is organized at different levels, each of which represents a more advanced step of treatment – from first aid in the field to hospital capacities in operating rooms. (RFE)