Another reconstruction site was launched in the town of Laç as work kicked off most recently to construct the new municipal hospital, which is scheduled to open its doors within next four months, a long-cherished investment for local residents, who, besides their homes, they also lost the institution where they received primary health care due to the earthquake that hit the country on November 26, 2019.
The new hospital, with its main design features aimed at addressing the primary health care needs in the best possible way through a state-of-the-art infrastructure and optimum conditions. “As soon as we started work on the new hospital, we also took a model of how a municipal hospital should work, taking also notice of the demographic trends, as well as the needs for primary health care. The new facility will have a capacity of 40 beds and it will be a 24- hour open hospital and it will provide emergency care, pathology, paediatric and maternity care services. The new hospital building will also house the polyclinics and the doctors’ offices. The old hospital that sustained structural damages in the devastating earthquake provided care services to the majority of the local population, but with the continued demographic flows, the hospital couldn’t meet the growing demand for care. The new hospital facility is designed to deliver highest contemporary standards and all integrated case services and ensure a more qualitative care for the citizens,” the Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu said as she accompanied Prime Minister Edi Rama during a visit to the construction site.
The 2500 square-meter hospital building will house the emergency department, polyclinic, physiotherapy ward, diagnostic imaging, as well as the paediatric and maternity wards.
PM Rama urged managers of the construction company to organize work in three shifts in order to complete the long-awaited project ahead of schedule. “Construction work should continue round the clock in three shifts so that the hospital completes ahead of schedule and I believe this is possible as it is about a relatively small volume, which can be successfully conducted with the use of this technology you have made available. It is an ecological, seismic-resistant building and also a perfect facility in terms of the services,” the Premier said.
The model on the basis of which the new hospital is being built will be used for construction of new municipal hospitals in other cities across the country. “It will be the model of future municipal hospitals,” Health Minister said, adding “this model will serve to extend it to other cities, where we plan to further improve healthcare services.”
On her part, Mayor of Kurbin Majlinda Cara, expressing on behalf of local residents the gratitude for construction of the new hospital, said that work is also underway at all sites to rebuild the educational facilities, whereas the construction sites for the two first apartment buildings will open soon. “We have already launched the procedures to sign contracts with the affected families and the funding will be allocated in the next ten days to cover the compensation grants due to be provided to the quake-affected residents who wish to build their own homes on their own,” Mayor Cara said.
“Contracts will be signed with 218 families. Construction of the educational facilities has also commenced. Construction of the EU-funded schools is also underway. We are preparing the sites for construction of two initial residential buildings, while the site preparation work for other buildings is set to begin soon,” she said.
