Bislimi denies that Kosovo is targeting Serbian health institutions in the north

2025-09-16 19:37:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo's acting Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, denied on Tuesday that Kosovo authorities are targeting Serbian-run health institutions in the north of the country - which is inhabited by a Serb majority.

In a reaction on his personal X account, Bislimi said that Kosovo “is not targeting even the illegal ones created by Serbia; no one understands the legal meaning of the commonly used term 'Serbian-run institutions in Kosovo'”.

Bislim's reaction comes after criticism from the international community for the suspension of the work of the Health Insurance Fund and the Disability and Pension Insurance Fund, which operate under the Serbian system, in North Mitrovica on September 12.

In particular, Germany called on Kosovo to "urgently" refrain from "targeting" Serbian-run health institutions on Kosovo territory, after the European Union previously urged the acting government and other relevant institutions to "refrain from such provocations and harmful actions and to consult with the local Serbian community and international partners."

Serbia described the suspension of the fund's work as an "unacceptable and inhumane act."

But Bislimi - who is Kosovo's chief negotiator in the dialogue with Serbia in Brussels - insisted on Tuesday that Kosovo is working on a solution for their inclusion in our legal framework, "ensuring that there is no interruption in the provision of health services and that there is maximum accommodation for health staff."

"Local trade inspectors have temporarily closed the activities of a fund that was illegally issuing coupons and conducting transactions, pending the submission of relevant evidence," said Bislimi.

Bislimi accused Serbia of "manipulating public opinion with massive production of fake news."

The Health Insurance Fund in North Mitrovica operates within the framework of the Republican Health Insurance Fund of Serbia and provides services in the field of healthcare - such as verifying health records, work related to medical commissions, calculating, controlling and paying financial compensations, as well as verifying requests for medical-technical assistance and the like.

In Serbian environments in Kosovo, all health and educational institutions operate according to the Serbian system.

In an interview given to Radio Free Europe in September 2024, Kosovo's Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, said that the functioning of health and education in Serb-majority areas is specific and that these institutions will be treated specifically - separately from the closure of other Serb institutions. /REL