At the close of the year and on the eve of Christmas, as has now become a tradition, Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Evis Sala, visited the University Medical Center “Mother Teresa” in the capital, to extend greetings to doctors and nurses, and more.
The Prime Minister’s first stop was the Pediatrics Department, where he met with young patients receiving treatment. On the occasion of the year-end holidays, he distributed gifts to the children, wishing them a speedy recovery and a quick return home.
“We do this every year, so we have come to bring you gifts so that you can celebrate the New Year happily with your mothers and fathers, recover as quickly as possible, and return home and to school,” the Prime Minister told the children, who were accompanied by their parents in the hospital premises.
The Prime Minister then continued his visit to the Oncology Hospital, which in recent months has undergone significant infrastructure improvements and increased its service capacity. The Director of the University Medical Center, Anxhela Paparizo, who accompanied the Prime Minister during the visit, informed him that several areas have been reconstructed, including the day chemotherapy rooms, which have also been equipped with modern technological devices.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health and Social Protection Evis Sala added that scheduling has also been reorganized, giving priority to patients coming from outside Tirana for day chemotherapy. A second, larger chemotherapy room has been opened, furnished with modern recliners and contemporary monitoring systems.
Prime Minister Rama stated that the goal is to provide chemotherapy services in regional hospitals as well, in order to reduce the heavy patient flow at the University Medical Center.
Following the visit, the Prime Minister held an expanded meeting with medical staff, including doctors, nurses, emergency medical teams, and medical residents.
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Prime Minister Edi Rama:
Thank you. I am here at the end of the year, and I believe that beyond the difficulties and challenges that are part of our shared effort, there is something that should never be forgotten and must also be reminded to others: the sacrifice and dedication of all doctors, nurses, National Emergency staff, and all supporting personnel who work tirelessly, every hour and every day of the year, saving lives, healing the sick, and delivering a vital service to society and the country.
The approximately 60,000 successful surgeries performed annually by our healthcare system, plus 35,000 microsurgical interventions, totaling around 95,000 successful procedures each year, do not make the news. Yet one failed operation, one tragedy, is enough to reverse the narrative entirely for everyone, for the entire medical corps and for the national healthcare system as a whole.
When, within this system, individuals or actions are identified that stain the white coat, the reputational cost is very high and, although entirely undeserved for the rest, everyone ends up paying the price. Still, for those who know what it means to serve in healthcare, and for those who receive care, the positive reality prevails and remains dominant.
Before coming here, we visited the Oncology Hospital, which at one point compelled us all to bow our heads before facts that honored no one. We met patients who were very satisfied with the care they were receiving and who spoke with evident sincerity. I was telling the director and the minister that public opinion is often shaped by extreme negativity from people who, fortunately, have never received hospital care. Those who have received care, the overwhelming majority—though not all—remember the service positively and remember the doctors with gratitude. You know this very well, because you have patients who have passed through your care, and I am grateful to you and remember you with appreciation.
Our work—yours on the front line and ours in supporting you—is to continue addressing problems and raising standards, because improvement has no end, while negativity fades quickly. On our way here, the minister, who worked in these facilities years ago as a young doctor, said she sometimes finds it difficult to orient herself due to the transformation the Medical Center has undergone. But that transformation is something people tend to forget.
We also saw the new parking structure, which will definitively resolve traffic and parking issues, eliminating parking on green areas. It will accommodate all vehicles entering the Medical Center. Around 700 cars currently park daily across the premises, while the new facility has 1,400 spaces. It will also serve the surrounding community, generating revenue to be shared between the Medical Center and the Albanian Development Fund. As a result, the approximately 80,000 square meters of open space will become the largest urban park in Tirana, with a completely new atmosphere, separating pedestrian paths from service roads. All other vehicles will be parked, allowing normal daily life to continue within the campus.
Looking ahead to the coming year, healthcare will receive several positive developments. The sector’s budget has increased by €50 million compared to this year, including an additional €15 million dedicated specifically to oncology medicines, with another €15 million to be added mid-year. This will enable meaningful reimbursement of oncology medications across primary care and ensure nationwide coverage within the oncology system. The aim is to transform the system so that the heavy pressure on oncology services in Tirana is distributed through revitalized regional hospitals, guaranteeing protocols and medication coverage for patients throughout the country.
We have allocated budget capacity to reimburse treatment for 400,000 patients. Despite ongoing debate about free healthcare, what happens here is part of a broader vision and differs significantly from practices in many other countries.
We will continue transforming the Medical Center to complete remaining projects, while also advancing plans to establish a National Cancer Institute and a national network to address a growing challenge not only in Albania, but everywhere.
We will continue increasing salaries for doctors and nurses. Salaries will rise by €135 per month, and for the first time, an annual salary indexation based on years of service will be introduced. This will apply to doctors, nurses, and medical technicians, in addition to the salary increases already mentioned.
At the same time, we will continue advancing qualitative digitalization and accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence into patient care processes within the healthcare system.
Unlike other occasions, I have no unpleasant words today. I simply wanted to express my respect and support and to say that the best lies ahead. Our responsibility is to ensure that the future improvements become tangible year after year.
I am confident that with the minister’s dedication and clarity, with the commitment of the new director, with your leadership, and with the extraordinary dedication of the National Emergency teams, we will continue to raise the quality of our healthcare services in the coming year.
I wish to conclude with a heartfelt message to your families—not only to the extended family here, but to each of your own families. Your families bear a significant cost for your work. Your work often has no fixed hours, carries constant stress, and demands enormous emotional energy for people you may not have known before they arrived here, but whom you care for as if they were your own children. Your families understand this better than anyone.
I wish them health, and I wish you peace and joy at the end of this year, and that the coming year brings the very best for you and your families.
