In order to have her disease diagnosed, Satbere Hoti, a citizen of Shkoder, would wait in the waiting list one year, in addition to having to pay over 4.000 Euros to have a coronary catheterization performed in one of the private hospitals in the country.

Today, Satbere is hospitalised in the Regional Hospital of Shkoder where two days ago she had this essential examination for her life performed successfully and for free.

In addition to Satbere, another 10 citizens were provided this service after months of waiting.

This hospital has provided patients for the first time the service of coronary catheterization and other minimally invasive cardiac intervention totally for free. Thanks to this new service at the regional hospital of Shkoder, the waiting time for patients needing this service has been reduced from 6 months or 1 year it used to be, to 4 to 6 weeks.

Following a total investment of 75 million ALL in the Cardiology Ward, the Regional Hospital of Shkoder can now provide patients a broader range of high quality services, as well as medical equipment of the most advanced technology for diagnosis and treatment. Thus, Shkoder is the only hospital outside Tirana, including also non-public hospitals, to provide this service for patients with cardiac diseases, unlike any other city in Albania.

The staff of interventionist cardiologists of the Regional Hospital of Shkoder is successfully carrying out the first coronary catheterization procedures.

Thanks to this investment, patients of Shkoder and also of the whole northern part of the country won’t have any longer to travel to Tirana to receive this service, which is now provided in this hospital in modern conditions and with higher standards. In addition, by providing this service in the hospital of Shkoder, the waiting time for the patients in the UHC of Tirana will be reduced significantly.

Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Health Minister Ilir Beqaj, visited today the Hospital of Shkoder and met with the medical staff and patients who can receive the service of coronary catheterization in this hospital for free.

For the specialists in the field, the launch of this service in Shkoder means more lives saved, as urgent cases of heart attack or acute cases of heart problem are treated as soon as the symptoms appear.

Luan is one of the cardiologists who responded to the initiative of the Health Ministry to work away from Tirana. He said that the procedures provided by this new service will affect the increase of life expectancy in patients with heart problems, as well as it will reduce the disability period. “We are very lucky to have the opportunity to provide patients this service, which is very beneficial to their health, in addition to having a direct impact on the life expectancy of the population. I welcomed the initiative of the Health Ministry to work away from my hometown, Tirana, and come here”, he said.

Health Minister Beqaj informed that the minimally invasive procedures, financed with public money, will triple this year thus saving the budget of Albanian households approximately 5 million Euros. From 2.200 procedures that were performed in 2013, 6.600 is the number of procedures that will be carried out now.

“Similar minimally invasive procedures financed with public money will triple in 2016, compared to those carried out in 2013. 6.600 procedures are expected to be performed this year. Compared to three years ago, Albanians will benefit 5 million Euros that they will save from their household budgets, because this money will be paid by the state budget.”

Prime Minister Rama said that a special attention will be paid to doctors working outside Tirana, encouraging them with financial support. “This ward here was necessary to treat cardiovascular diseases across this area. Patients won’t have to go to Tirana anymore to have this service. One other concern of ours is to increase financial support for doctors across the country, and we will definitely do this year, in order to continue encouraging specialist physicians, who will be paid extra money, to work outside Tirana. In addition, we will try to enter a new stage where doctors will be paid based on their work volume, and not according to a fixed salary which they receive whether they work or not. This will bring an internal incentive within the system. Another element we want to introduce, which is the key element of the reform, is to enable physicians to work privately in public hospitals after work hours.