Elek on the situation at the Clinical Hospital Center in Kosovska Mitrovica: We're running out of everything; I'm afraid of a Banja Luka scenario

The Director of the Clinical Hospital Center in Kosovska Mitrovica, Zlatan Elek, stated that the institution was in a catastrophic situation as it was gradually running out of much-needed medications, RTV reports.

As Elek told Tanjug, the Clinical Hospital Center in Kosovska Mitrovica had not had continuous access to essential medications since 2021 when the last public procurement had been rejected.

"Everything is gradually running out. The Institute of Public Health in Kosovska Mitrovica, just like us, cannot procure vaccines. We are working with supplies from 2021, and we have been continuously alerting international actors to this issue," Elek noted.

He emphasized that he feared a Banja Luka scenario, in which 31 years ago, 12 newborns had died at the University Clinical Center due to a lack of oxygen.

"We are also running out of oxygen. You know that 12 newborns died at that time due to a lack of oxygen. Additionally, oxygen is essential for other patients and complex surgeries that we perform," Elek stated.

The problem, he says, is that there are fewer and fewer supplies of medications for oncology patients.

"Now, there is an increase in oncology patients who are also lacking essential therapies, and you know that these therapies mean life to them," the Director of the Clinical Hospital Center in Kosovska Mitrovica concluded.