Int'l factor to be complicit in looming humanitarian disaster - Mitrovica hospital director

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA  - The director of the Clinical and Hospital Centre in the north of Kosovska Mitrovica said on Friday a humanitarian disaster was looming at the hospital without urgent shipments of medicines, medical oxygen and medical supplies and noted that the Pristina authorities would be responsible - and international organisations complicit - if that happened.

"All relevant international factors are familiar with the situation. We also spoke with the UNMIK chief here in Kosovo-Metohija the other day to explain the problems we are facing," Zlatan Elek said at a press conference.

"We hope a humanitarian disaster will be averted in any way possible. In case it is not, all international factors - including UNMIK, OSCE, humanitarian organisations, the World Health Organisation and everyone else - will definitely be complicit," he said.

He said that, in the past, medicines for the hospital used to be provided by "our state, President Aleksandar Vucic, the Ministry of Health and the Office for Kosovo-Metohija."

He dismissed Pristina's allegations there had never been any ban on shipments of medicines and noted that "there would certainly be no discussion about that topic now" if the claim had been true.

He said obstructions by Pristina had reduced the frequency of shipments of medicines from regular quarterly shipments to one or two times a year.

"A perfidious plan of the Pristina authorities is behind this - to get the Serb population to move out of the territory of the north of Kosovo-Metohija because if you take away from them the right to health care and treatment, you also take away their right to life, and the right to life is one of the fundamental rights under the UN Charter," Elek concluded.