IOM Mission in Kosovo

The Swedish Medical Programe (SMP) is an ongoing collaborative effort between the Swedish Government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in continuous implementation since 1999. The program facilitates local capacity building to diagnose, treat, and care for medical and surgical patients, for whom such services are not available or adequate in Kosovo. Through the years of implementation, the aim of the SMP has changed, evolving from medical referrals and evacuation of patients from Kosovo to Sweden and Kosovo to Bosnia and Herzegovina ( BiH) to capacity building, training, and enabling the local professionals to realize greater achievements, with the assistance of the Swedish Medical Team (SMT) and ultimately improve their independent performance.

From 1995 to 2003, SMP was implemented through the successful cooperation between the Swedish Migration Board, the Medical Centre for Refugees and IOM. In 2004, the Swedish Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocated part of its budget for global development to the Medical Centre for Refugees within the County Council of Östergötland to continue the SMP. The final phase of SMP was funded through the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

Achievements of the SMP programme in Kosovo 2000 -2009

92 patients successfully evacuated to Sweden

211 visits by 43 Swedish doctors, nurses and biomedical engineers to Kosovo,

Over 1136 patients have been examined and 215 patients have been operated locally.

40 Kosovar health professional have attended training sessions in Sweden,

Techniques improved for optimal use of available equipment and care.

Migration Health Assessment for Canada, Australia and New Zealand in Kosovo

The Migration Health Assessment Programme for nationals who are leaving the country under the various resettlement programs is established in IOM Kosovo since 2000.

The Migration Health Assessment programs implemented in Kosovo are for the for following countries: Canada, Australia and New Zealand. IOM provides the medical services in the fully equipped medical facilities.

The number of the applicants examined through the Migration Health Assessment Programs in Kosovo for the period January April 2010 was 117 cases.