Home Visiting nurses supporting families during challenging times
05.07.2023
Ermira lives in Gjilan and she works as a nurse in the Main Family Medicine Center in Gjilan. She has heard about the Home Visiting programme through her colleagues who have been trained to implement the programme but has never received such services before. Her pregnancy went well until she gave birth. Just before the baby was born, she tested for COVID-19
and resulted positive, even though she did not show serious symptoms. After her COVID-19 positive results, the doctors said that she should be transferred to the Gynecology/Obstetrics Clinic at University Clinical Center of Kosovo. Immediately after she gave birth to her baby, the doctors and midwives advised her to isolate from her baby until the COVID-19 is treated and she is no longer contagious. I was so scared and sad that I could not have the chance to hold my baby and breastfeed. – explains in emotions Ermira.
The baby was given to the father and aunt, and they returned to their home in Gjilan. Ermira’s husband called the home visiting nurse and asked for help. Sebahate Haziri, the home visiting nurse in Gjilan went immediately to their house and helped her husband with how to take care of the newborn baby, giving advice and support on how to feed the baby, changing his diapers, and his clothes. After three days, Ermira returned home and felt heavy hearted and sad because of the emotional state due to the separation with her newborn. She needed support on how to breastfeed her baby and she asked again for help and support from the home visiting nurse. Ermira is very grateful for the great support of the nurses and midwives of the Home Visiting Programme.
“I was very lucky that I was advised in such a professional and comprehensive way”, says Ermira.
The Home Visiting is a programme of the Ministry of Health, implemented by the Primary Health Care facilities and supported by UNICEF in partnership with Action for Mothers and Children, through the financial support of the Government of Luxembourg. The programme aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children, pregnant women and families through provision of support at home. With two visits delivered throughout pregnancy and five visits for children 0-3 years of age, the Home Visiting programme supports families on applying the best practices for a healthy development of a child, including the regular vaccination, and enables early identification of undiagnosed childhood conditions, developmental delays, and other vulnerabilities. From December 2022, the Home Visiting programme is implemented in all the municipalities of Kosovo.
