Serb List: Closure of clinics directly endangers the right to healthcare of the Serbian people

With today’s action, in which representatives of the Ministry of Health from Pristina and the municipality of Srbica halted the work of clinics in the villages of Banje and Suvo Grlo on Good Friday ahead of Easter, the right to healthcare of the Serbian people and all citizens who used the services of these health institutions is being directly endangered, the Serb List stated in a press release.

As they emphasized, the Serb List informed representatives of the European Union, the United States, and the Quint countries, as well as the OSCE missions – EULEX, KFOR, and UNMIK, about this unfounded incursion and violation of the rights of the Serbian people, and requested an urgent reaction.

“We remind that international representatives, foremost the EU Special Representative Peter Sorensen and the US Embassy in Pristina, clearly indicated that there must be no interruption in the provision of services to citizens in the fields of healthcare and education, and that the issue of the functioning of institutions in these areas will be resolved exclusively through dialogue, based on reached agreements and in coordination with the Serbian people. We demand an urgent reaction from the international community in order to prevent further violation of basic human rights and to enable the uninterrupted operation of healthcare institutions,” the statement reads.

It further states that the clinics closed today had for years provided services to all citizens without discrimination, which additionally shows that their closure is a politically motivated move to the detriment of ordinary people, and comes after yesterday’s provocation when Serbian flags were removed in Gracanica.

“Serb List demands that the operation of the clinics be restored without delay and that citizens be guaranteed the right to healthcare, which must not be denied to them by anyone. This is a test of the responsibility and determination of the European Union and the United States to ensure that the rights of the Serbian people are respected,” the statement concludes.

The “Saint Nicholas” clinic in the village of Banje, in the municipality of Srbica, and the clinic in the village of Suvo Grlo were closed today, on Good Friday, by Kosovo inspectors. At the same time, signs were removed from the “Milun Jaksic” Primary School in the village of Banje and from the Technical School in Srbica.