A new hemodynamic ward, a government investment designed to improve the cardiology service, has become operational for the first time at regional hospital in the city of Fier. Some 28 coronary diagnostic procedures have been performed since February, a critical method in serious coronary disease diagnostics.
Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu, visited the new ward, the fourth public hemodynamic centre, providing services to the patients with cardiovascular disease in the country’s south.
Health Minister Manastirliu said that the launch of hemodynamic service at Fier region hospital will significantly reduce the patient wait times and the patient flow who previously had to undergo such examination at the University Hospital Centre “Mother Teresa” in Tirana.
“The new hemodynamic service at Fier regional hospital has been launched in February and some 27 coronary examinations have been performed since then. The service will expand and it is expected to provide care for around 1000 patients with cardiovascular disease each year. The lab has been equipped with a new angiography worth EUR 700 000 and eight biomedical devices. Yet, the health personnel are the most important part of this whole structure and thanks to the physicians who are specializing in this area and with the assistance of the doctors from the Tirana University Hospital Centre we will be able to deliver care service to all patients from the country’s southern part, who will no longer travel to Tirana, but they will undergo checks for cardiovascular diseases at this centre. The patient wait times will be reduced now significantly, as this centre, together with the new laboratory at Shkodra regional hospital, will cover such service for the whole territory of the country,” Manastirliu said.
The citizens feel immensely relieved that such a vital service is provided at optimal conditions close to their residential area. They say that the difference with the recent past is immense. “Thank you very much for launching such a service here, because we were forced to travel 3 or 4 times to Tirana to undergo cardiovascular examination. Every patient from the country’s south had to travel to Tirana to receive such a service. I was hospitalized six years ago at this hospital, but conditions were miserable. The investments at this hospital are larger than the 50 years combined.”
Meanwhile, the cardiologist says that all coronary diagnostic procedures have been successfully performed at this hospital. “The first coronary diagnostic procedure at Fier regional hospital was performed on Feb 14. Since then, some 28 patients have successfully undergone such procedure at this hospital. All kinds of cardiovascular diseases have been treated at this center, including acute heart failure and cardiac ischemia. Many other diagnostic procedures have been also performed here,” he said.
The Director of the Cardiology Service at Tirana University Hospital Centre Artan Godo and the team of doctors he heads, have played a crucial role in training young physicians. He noted that quick and effective interventions significantly reduce the risk from diseases. “It is a great pleasure to see that the coronary diagnostic service is being expanded all over the country. This is the fourth public centre countrywide to open in past few years. Such investments allow such critical service to be delivered quickly and effectively to patients, because speed is important and effective and we hope such privilege that the country’s north already enjoys will be offered to patients from the southern part, allowing for interventions in so dangerous diseases. I fully trust in the team of young physicians who are trained to do this.”
The new hemodynamic centres in Fier and Shkodra treats only the planned cases of cardiovascular patients, while emergency service is also expected to become operational. “We expect the two new hemodynamic centres to treat the medical emergency cases, because they currently provide services to patients on the waiting list only. Of course the hospital “Shefqet Ndroqi” will be one of the centres where we project to provide 24-hour service and open the cardio surgery ward,” Health Minister Manastirliu said.
