The town's small sports center is being prepared as a temporary shelter for thousands. For the rest, KFOR will have to erect tent cities. IMC is trying to restore health care for both Albanians and Serbs. In the meantime, IMC must deal with the myriad problems expected among the newest refugees, especially the dehydration many of them will experience on the walk over the mountains from Serbia. The organization also is concerned about people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, plus conditions caused by stress, overcrowding and lack of sanitation.
Special concern is voiced for the elderly and very young.
There are not enough doctors here to care for the local population, not to mention a new influx of refugees. Before the war, there were parallel and unequal health and education systems in Kosovo. Albanian doctors and nurses were often relegated to second class facilities. After the war, many Serb doctors fled to Serbia, leaving their homes and patients behind. Albanian doctors are ill prepared to handle the volume of patients they now face.