Three major projects, a new Surgical Hospital, an Internal Medicine Clinic, and a new Pediatric Centre represent the next phase in this ongoing fundamental transformation of Mother Teresa University Hospital Centre in Tirana.
Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu, inspected the ongoing works to construct the new Surgical Hospital, which is projected to complete by June.
“It is an Albanian government investment under a Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) loan and the Surgical Hospital project is scheduled to complete by May or June this year. The state budged has earmarked some 3.8 million dollars to provide furnishings for interior spaces so that work starts as soon as possible,” the Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu said.
The new Surgical Hospital will be a 120-bed inpatient centre and it will feature seven operating rooms (Urology, General Surgery, Thyroid, Thorax, Abdominal Surgery), each equipped with a standard tower for laparoscopic surgery. The centre will also house a histology laboratory, 7 other intensive care beds, as well as state-of-the-art medical equipment.
“As many as 17 000 surgical interventions are set to be performed annually at the new Surgical Centre if the centre will operate in a two-shift system,” one of the surgeons said.
With the new surgical instruments and their sterilization through modern methods, the Surgical Service at Tirana’s University Hospital Centre will provide the highest quality of sophisticated, state-of-the-art care for the citizens.
“With the new surgical instruments we can meet the highest European standards,” a physician at the Hospital Centre said.
“An investment in surgical surgery is being carried out for first time in 50 years,” another surgeon added.
Health Minister Ogerta Manastirliu noted that work is also underway to construct the new Internal Medicine Hospital. “Construction of this centre is set to complete by May 2021. The centre will be a 340-bed inpatient hospital for the whole range of internal medicine discipline, as well as reorganized emergency ward at the University Hospital Centre due to be housed inside the new hospital, which is expected to meet the European standards,” Health Minister said.
Medical students are also direct beneficiaries of the ongoing investments to modernize the country’s biggest hospital centre. Some 11 study halls, respectively two at the new Surgical Hospital and nine other halls at the Internal Medicine Hospital, are being constructed under the Pact for the University.
“As we have already promised under the Pact for the University, we are working not only to improve patient care standards, but, given that this is a University Hospital Centre, we are trying to provide required spaces for the students at other university hospital centres so that they receive quality teaching. Therefore, we are also building lecture halls and other premises, where students and their professors can conduct teaching process,” Manastirliu said.
