HC Deb 01 March 2000 vol 345 cc291-2W
9. Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on health services in Kosovo. [111181]

Mr. Foulkes

Medical services in Kosovo suffer from 10 years of neglect and poor maintenance, the dismissal of Albanian Kosovars from health administration and from the aftermath of the conflict. Our immediate priority is to ensure that access to urgent medical assistance is widely available. The UK is taking the lead in essential services at Pristina University Hospital under a neutral international management team, and is supporting primary health care provision for some 800,000 people. We are working closely with Joint Administration and key donors to develop longer-term sustainable health programmes.