Surgical instruments of high standards are now available at the maternity hospital Mbretëresha Geraldinë” following one of the most important investments in healthcare to replace old instruments that hadn’t been changed for 30 years, and which were out of any sterilization standard and therefore had become one main cause of serious post-surgery infections for patients. Prime Minister Edi Rama toured today the maternity hospital “Mretëresha Geraldinë”, where the new instruments are already available for doctors. After the surgical instruments are provided to all the surgery services at the THUC where the central sterilization room is located, hospitals across the country will have available approximately 6 thousand kinds of instruments and approximately 96 thousand surgical instruments that will increase the immunity to infections for 50 thousand patients undergoing surgery every year.

Health Minister Ogerta Manastirliu assessed the progress of the program to replace medical instruments. “We concluded successfully the implementation of the program at the THUC, and we will continue with it through May by involving every university hospital, the maternity hospitals “Mbretëresha Geraldinë” and “Koço Glozheni”, the hospital “Shefqet Ndroqi” and the hospital of Trauma, and we could extend it across the country by the end of December.”

The provision of new surgery instruments and their sterilization opens a new page in the service of Albanian surgery, ensuring the highest standards, the maximum hygiene and the expansion of the range of surgeries in public hospitals. The Prime Minister noted that what made the government undertake this program was the shocking report of the Ministry of Health on the cases of infections due to medical instruments that didn’t meet even the minimum standards.

“When we considered the issue of instruments, the idea was that they were necessary, but we didn’t have the budget. So, we decided to buy them in partnership with private companies. What gave me the ultimate encouragement was a report of the Ministry of Health on infections caused only by the health instruments used in the surgeries, which were out of any standard, and therefore caused additional consequences”, the Prime Minister said.

“We have used outdated instruments for 30 years. Now it’s like night and day. These instruments have been manufactured by the same company that manufactures 85% of the surgical instruments used across the world”, Nikita Manoku, one of the renowned doctors said. Another doctor, Albert Cakoni, noted that this aspect makes their hospital competitive with private hospitals. “We are now using the same instruments as doctors in Germany. Probably ours are even better than those used by doctors in private hospitals here.”

Another supporting step for which doctors have expressed their satisfaction, is the wage increase which, as they said, has always been awarded with the dropper. “There has been a pretty significant evolution, especially in the last three years, the difference is quite big”. Doctor Manoku said.

Minister Manastirliu said that a new scheme will also be activated to support the doctors who will go for consultation to other hospitals. “This is the latest financial compensation, the latest scheme for doctors who decide to go to other regional hospitals, and from university hospitals to regional hospitals. Those who go from one regional hospital to another will receive 50 thousand ALL a day, and those going from a university hospital to a regional hospital will be paid 100 thousand ALL a day.”

 

Indicators in terms of healthcare figures as a priority sector.

Thanks to the reforms on the path to make state, the health budget for the year 2017 has increased to 2.94% of the GDP, which marks the highest level of public health funding in 25 years.

Public health spending per capita in the period 2013-2017 has been twice as high as that of the period from 2009 to 2013. In the four years from 2013 to 2017, spending per capita increased to 4.027 ALL from 2.329 ALL it was in the years from 2009 to 2013.

This budget has the highest level of investments in 25 years. Approximately 15.2 billion ALL have been invested, are being invested and are expected to be invested in the years from 2014 to 2017.

Meanwhile the budget includes a 10 million dollar increase of the salaries of doctors, nurses and health staff. The salary of health staff will increase by 36%, and that of nurses and doctors by 10%.