Prishtina, 28 December, 2022
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the Minister of Health, Arben Vitia, participated today in the inauguration ceremony of the National Center of Sports Medicine and the Clinic of Physical Medicine with Rehabilitation, in the Municipality of Pristina.
In his speech, the Prime Minister said that it is a special honor to participate in this inauguration of these two facilities where now, our athletes will finally have a center that offers medical services of the high quality that they deserve. .
“For several years now, we have witnessed that our sportsmen and women are reaching the highest possible standards in various international competitions. Within a short time, they have placed the Republic of Kosovo on the world map of sports, thus serving not only the advancement of their individual careers, but also the strengthening of the state of Kosovo and the image of our country in the international arena. , the prime minister said.
According to the Prime Minister, the opening of the National Center of Sports Medicine will enable us, now more than ever, to prevent diseases and at the same time to diagnose sportsmen’s diseases, through systematic health checks. “In this way, Kosovo athletes will be given the opportunity to shine even more in the coming years both in Kosovo and in the world”, he said.
Equally important is the opening of the new facility of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic. This clinic, added the prime minister, is the only tertiary health care structure in Kosovo, which offers diagnostic services as well as special treatment of various pathologies through physical therapy and rehabilitation.
In parallel with the improvement of the physical infrastructure, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo is also working intensively on updating the legal infrastructure in the fields of sports medicine and physical and rehabilitation medicine.
These updates, he further said, are intended to be done through a new health law on the one hand, and through the strategic planning process in the field of sports on the other.
The opening of these two new facilities today is only the beginning, by no means the end of our cooperation, Prime Minister Kurti said among other things.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Dear doctors and nurses,
Dear Minister, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a special pleasure and honor for me to participate here today in the inauguration of the National Sports Medicine Center, as well as the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic.
For several years now, we have witnessed that our sportsmen and women are reaching the highest possible standards in various international competitions. Within a short time, they have placed the Republic of Kosovo on the world map of sports, thus serving not only the advancement of their individual careers, but also the strengthening of the state of Kosovo and the image of our country in the international arena.
Now, with the opening of the new facility, our athletes will finally have a center that offers medical services of the high quality they deserve. The National Sports Medicine Center will have sufficient infrastructure to develop its activity, meeting international standards in this field.
Meeting these standards is a necessary condition for the further development of sports in our country. The opening of this new center will enable us, now more than ever, to prevent diseases and at the same time diagnose the diseases of athletes, through systematic health checks. In this way, Kosovo athletes will be given the opportunity to shine even more during the coming years both in Kosovo and in the world.
Equally important is the opening of the new Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic here. This clinic is the only tertiary health care structure in Kosovo, which offers diagnostic services as well as special treatment of various pathologies through physical therapy and rehabilitation. Likewise, the clinic, as an educational institution, also offers educational and professional opportunities for new specialists, for students of the Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Physiotherapy. Until now, the clinic has developed its scope in extremely difficult conditions. With the construction of this new clinic facility, it is now possible to provide high quality health conditions and services.
It is worth emphasizing here that the construction of these new facilities is of special importance not only for professional athletes, but also for ordinary citizens. According to the current Law on Health, article 33, paragraph 1, the scope of sports medicine includes taking care of the health condition of citizens who engage in sports recreationally. This means that the more successful we are, as a society, in promoting the culture of sport among our citizens, the more work the National Sports Medicine Center and the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic will have.
In this regard, we know that Kosovo will not forever have such a young population as we have now. The youth of today will be the elders of the day after tomorrow. The need for physiotherapy and rehabilitation services will only increase, more and more, as the years go by. Therefore, the construction of new facilities that we inaugurated today are not just an investment in infrastructure, but also an investment in public health which will serve us for decades.
In parallel with the improvement of the physical infrastructure, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo is also working intensively on updating the legal infrastructure in the fields of sports medicine and physical and rehabilitation medicine. We are aiming to make these updates through a new health law on the one hand, and through the strategic planning process in the field of sports on the other.
In other words, the opening of these two new facilities today is only the beginning, by no means the end of our cooperation. I wish that your work goes well and that your professional commitment is exceeded only by our will to support you, for the benefit of the community of Kosovo athletes and all our citizens.
Thank you!
Last modified: December 28, 2022