Prime Minister Edi Rama, together with the Minister of Health Ilir Beqaj and the U.S. Ambassador in Tirana, Alexander Arvizu, inaugurated the renovated waiting rooms of Lezha Regional Hospital,, an initiative financed by the U.S. Government as part of the project “Support to Health Reform.”

Prime Minister Rama said this project was another example of the Government’s approach to establishing new qualitative relations of state with citizens.

“This project is among the first examples of a continuing transformation of all the points of contact with the state at the hospitals and in any state office. Referring to hospitals, both the people in need of treatment and their family members deserve to be received in most optimal conditions, like the citizens of a normal European country are,” the Premier said.

Expressing his pleasure over the fact that this inauguration coincides also with the launch of the new tax relief on medical staff wages, the Prime Minister assured them of continued support.

“This day coincides with the period when the staffs of hospitals across the country is receiving their salaries that are subject to fair taxation. I have seen a lot of happy faces among nurses and smiling doctors. This will continue. I am convinced that this would also strongly influence the strengthening of relations between the hospital staff, Ministry of Health, the Government as a whole, local power and the community, as well as will enable us to continue and increase the chances of those who serve in hospitals to make more money from their own honest wor and,obviously, to make a better living.”

On his part, Ambassador Arvizu said he supported the approach taken by the Albanian Government to enhance the cooperation with the community and improve practices to deliver  increasingly qualitative services.

“We are happy to be part of this project and also very proud that USAID has been part of this opportunity. I think this is an excellent opportunity of working together with Government to offer more qualitative services to citizens. This is of particular importance for the services delivered in the area of health and education and all of them help to provide better governance. Something of which we are very proud of here in Lezha is the fact that a community consultative panel has been established to work with community. The United States are very proud of the Government for choosing this approach for the cooperation with the community, as what has been done, for example, in education is being applied to health, as well,” Ambassador Arvizu said.

The Regional Hospital of Lezha is one of three pilot hospitals included in the USAID project to support on adopting better hospital management systems. Minister Beqaj pledged that the model will be replicated in in all the hospitals across the country.

“We are committed to transform hospitals so that they are not merely treatment centres, but places where human solidarity is fostered. This project is based on the patient-centred care.  It is my responsibility and that of my collaborators extend the precious assistance and experience acquired at this hospital to all Albanian hospitals,” Minister Beqaj said.