U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Tracey Ann Jacobson unveils a memorial plaque at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo at a dedication ceremony
held Dec. 24. The plaque recognizes the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo’s Office of Defense Cooperation and the U.S. European Command’s Humanitarian
Assistance Program’s $2 million renovation project aimed at strengthening the capacity and quality of health care for the people of Kosovo. (Photo
courtesy of U.S. Embassy Pristina)
EUCOM, U.S. Embassy renovate Kosovo hospitals
Story by U.S. Army Capt. Randy Ready
4th Public Affairs Detachment
T
he U.S. Embassy in Kosovo’s Office of Defense
Cooperation and the U.S. European Command’s
Humanitarian Assistance Program recently
completed a $2 million renovation project at the
University Clinical Center of Kosovo in Pristina.
The renovations were part of a two phase project funded
by the EUCOM Humanitarian Assistance Program and
managed by the Embassy’s ODC. It was started in 2011 and
aimed at strengthening the capacity and quality of health
care for the Kosovo people.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bruce Murphy, the Chief for the Office
of Defense Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo, said
they met with Kosovo’s Minister of Health to determine his
priorities in order to help provide better medical care.
“We try to integrate our projects with the ministers so we
are in step with them, so our projects will continue to be
supported and maintained once we give them back to the
host nation,” said Murphy, a native of Green Bay, Wis.
Murphy said their goal was to create a modernized health
facility able to support the long-term health and welfare of
the people of Kosovo. Since the UCCK is the largest medical
facility in Kosovo and provides services to tens of thousands
of patients annually, they determined the best way they
could assist through the EUCOM Humanitarian Assistance
Program was to renovate the UCCK’s Infectious Disease
and Surgical Clinics.
Dr. Shemsedin Dreshaj, the Director for the Infectious
Disease Clinic, said these renovations were important as
the clinic has approximately 3,000 inpatients and 10,000
outpatients each year, with these being some of the most
vulnerable people in Kosovo.
“The infectious diseases patients are the poorest ones that
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