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Health information is part of the Department of Strategic Management but is not resourced. The
NIPH collects patient information data from hospitals using a mix of transmission methods including
paper based records. We have been advised that some records are not up to date and incomplete.
We have not made recommendations on health information given that there is an in-depth study of
this underway.
Internal audit current situation, issues and options
The Office of Internal Audit currently reports to the PS according to the organisation chart, but it also
reports to the Minister. It has a director and two staff members. The Director advised that based on
the law, internal audit should be reporting to an Internal Audit Committee made up of ministerial
appointees, including some from outside the MOH. The Office of Internal Audit sends its reports to
the MOF’s internal auditor.
The issues raised included: the need to establish the Internal Audit Committee; lack of clear
definition over to whom the internal audit function in the University Clinical Hospital reports, issues
with lack of role clarity between the finance, pharmacy and procurement departments; no licensing of
auditors although this is planned; and low salaries making it hard to attract and retain staff.
The forthcoming FRIDOM review of public financial management arrangements notes the need to
set up the internal audit committees in all ministries. If this was done for the MOH it would be more
in line with good practice and would reduce the overload of reports on the PS.
Standards, licensing and registration functions: current situation, issues and options
Standard setting, licensing and registration functions are carried out for various activities,
professionals and products as summarised below. It involves five different entities.
Standard setting and licensing health facilities
The Division of Private Practice in the Department of Health Services has a director and two staff
members involved in private practice regulation, licensing, monitoring, and accreditation, for around
1000 private practices including hospitals, private polyclinics, and laboratories. Their work mainly
focuses on licensing, monitoring of institutions, developing the law, and creating a database. They
are not involved in enforcement. Standards are based on an administrative instruction issued in 2007
for day-care hospitals, ambulatory services and inpatient hospitals (special and general), and
polyclinics.
The Commission for Licenses is a ministerial committee appointed to assess technical and
professional activities that run across the MOH. It contributes to the licensing process by
considering problems with unlicensed hospitals including assessing facilities, and the adequacy of
staffing, space, equipment and other matters. This would appear to be a core MOH function that
could be carried out by staff, but the commission may be a way to solve staffing shortages and other
issues.
The Office for Quality of Health Services in the Department of Strategic Management mainly works
on health quality standards and the strategy for improving the quality of health services for the
private and public health facilities. The scope of the work is supposed to include developing
guidelines, protocols, monitoring, evaluation, working with coordinators for quality for primary,
secondary and tertiary care and the main family medicine centres and while this is done in part, it is
constrained by the size of this office (1 person).
Licensing medical products including drugs
The Kosovo Medicines Agency licences pharmacies, licenses drug warehouses, issues import
licenses for medical products, lists authorised medical products, tests drugs, and licenses
pharmacies.
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