Palliative Care in Kosovo

Each year, thousands of citizens of Kosovo with cancer and other chronic illnesses die without the benefits of comprehensive palliative care. Palliative care is offered only in limited forms in the country and is not integrated, comprehensive, or multidisciplinary. Nevertheless, the emergence of palliative care as a priority of the National Board for Cancer Control (NBCC) and other stakeholders provides a great opportunity for the promotion and implementation of a national palliative care program.

The research team at the Dartmouth Global Health Policy Lab examined the current state of palliative care delivery in Kosovo, and developed preliminary key findings, policy recommendations, and a conceptual framework for delivery of these policy options. The team first spent ten weeks conducting research at Dartmouth College in order to develop a scope of work and an initial literature review. From June 19th through August 20th, 2018, the research team carried out fieldwork in Kosovo. The team conducted a mixed methods study consisting of interviews with various health system leaders and health care providers in addition to an analysis of existing data and literature. This research and fieldwork was utilized to develop the key findings and delivery framework that are presented in this report.