BRIEF SUMMARY Growing awareness of mental health in Kosovo and stress factors brought by modern life are steadily increasing demand for psychiatric and psychological support services. According to Kosovo Agency of Statistics (ASK) data, in 2023 alone, 28,408 specialist psychiatric visits and 60,569 occupational therapy sessions were performed at Professional Mental Health Centers; 13,977 outpatient visits were recorded at QKUK's Psychiatry Clinic. In this system where the public sector focuses more on severe cases and day care (Qëndrime Ditore), private psychotherapy, child occupational therapy, and independent psychiatry clinics hold serious B2C investment potential for middle and upper-income groups seeking "out-of-pocket" services.
When we examine the workload in the public health system, we see that there is an increasing number of applications to the Pristina QKUK Psychiatric Clinic in the capital city every year. The number of visits, which was around 12,600 in 2016, reached approximately 14,000 outpatient clinic applications by 2023. In addition, 28,408 specialist psychiatrist examinations were carried out in Professional Mental Health Centers in 2023. These tens of thousands of visits in the public sector are a sure indicator that a segment of patients who want to receive services "without waiting lists and with higher standards of confidentiality" will shift to private clinics.
r The most innovative dimension of mental health investments are "Occupational Therapy" centers. According to ASK data, state institutions organized 60,569 therapy and activity (Terapi Okupuse) sessions in 2023. This area, which covers the need for mental rehabilitation after attention deficit in children, autism spectrum or neurological damage in adults, presents a huge organic demand for the private sector to establish fully equipped "Day Life and Therapy Centers" (Qëndrime Ditore).