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Nora Krasniqi, the acting Chief of the Health Inspector at the Ministry of Health, told to media that during inspections in these private hospitals, they encountered illegal activities, which has affected departments within hospitals to stop temporarily they work, until the frozen material, ie the human cells, has been transferred to the University Clinical Center of Kosovo, respectively to the Gynecology Clinic to be preserved.
"The health inspectorate, together with the Kosovo Police, has carried out inspections in some private health hospitals licensed to provide services in the field of medical fertilization. The purpose of the inspections was to oversee the implementation of the Law on Reproductive Health. These institutions found violations of the Law on Reproductive Health under which the Health Inspectorate has imposed the measure of temporary suspension of activity in these institutions," Krasniqi said.
Meanwhile, Kosovo Police has set other measures to health personnel in these services in accordance with the legal regulations of the Police.
Baki Kelani, a spokesman for the Kosovo Police, said that the Department of Human Trafficking Department, during the inspection of private hospitals, had encountered criminal acts, unlawful transplantation and trafficking of human organs and cells.
In connection with this, 17 persons were arrested on suspicion of the abovementioned acts, among them, apart from Kosovar citizens, there were also of other nationalities.
"The case is about private clinics suspected of committing criminal offenses of unlawful transplantation and trafficking of human organs and cells, coperpetration and irresponsible medical treatment. In these cases, a total of 17 people are suspected. These cases were conducted in cooperation with the Health Inspectorate within the Ministry of Health and with the decision of the inspectors the IVF wards were closed. Against the suspects a criminal report has been filed and the case is being investigated," Kelani said.
Meanwhile, the lawyer of one of these private hospitals, Besnik Berisha, speaking for Free Radio Europe, said there is no evidence that there is a misuse of cells or embryos.
He stresses that all that they have seen in the record of the Health Inspectorate have been some technical shortcomings related to the keeping of records, preliminary declarations or signatures.
"The physicians have been arrested on suspicion of abusing cells and embryos, but all these are ungrounded. The prosecution itself did not know why the doctors were accompanied to the police, as the only evidence they had was the record of the Ministry of Health, and there was said to have trouble keeping records in accordance with the instructions of the administrative instruction.
"Thus, the Health Inspectorate has not ascertained any trafficking or trafficking of cells or abusing those embryos but were foundproblems in the files, thus the administrative problems such as the lacking of a signature, confirmation or the like. There was no raid, but there was a Prosecution march probably not motivated by the evidence, but for other reasons that remain to be seen in the future." Berisha declared.
However, cases are under investigation and it remains to be seen how they will be handled by the court as well.