Work for Health has begun at the University Hospital “Mother Teresa” with three very important investments to be extended nationwide.
Prime Minister Edi Rama was today there to inspect investments made in the TUHC. 20 new ambulances will be available to hospitals across the country to improve emergency service. This investment is part of the commitment to launch a National Emergency Service. Emergency Service Director Dritan Pasku briefed the Prime Minister on the modern equipment and services provided by the new tools of the hospital transport.
Health Minister Beqaj said that these diagnostic capabilities were necessary for the country’s hospitals and the possibility is being studied for them to be present even at the most problematic regions in terms of some national road accidents in the country, so that aid can be provided to people in need as soon as possible. “We have been working throughout the year to launch the model especially in the area because if today we have them close to hospitals, it is necessary to create also intermediate units. For example, Tirana cannot have just one emergency center. In 2 or 3 national hot-spots where there are more accidents, we think to approach with a permanent unit two ambulances for a faster transportation”- Beqaj said.
One other very important investment is the launch of outpatient Consults Center at the University Hospital Center, which will significantly facilitate the outpatient service within the center, thus avoiding the chaos and stagnation that arises frequently in hospital wards. The center will host approximately 300 patients a day.
Director of the University Hospital Center, Ogerta Manastirliu announced that this contemporary project, which comes as a novelty for TUHC, will be implemented within this year and then will be applied in other regional hospitals. “We tried to create all the necessary facilities, always to provide citizens faster services, access, or to provide all the necessary diagnostics to be done in one place. Citizens enter a door and go out the other door, while doctors have personalized access and a pharmacy reimbursement, because today there are more than 100 citizens who come to take medication reimbursement and are disoriented while on the premises of the University Hospital Center “- she said.
Another project underway, which also represents one of the priorities in the health program, is to improve the oncology service. Prime Minister Rama watched closely the progress of work on the construction of the bunker for linear accelerator, which will enable patients to be treated with radiotherapy, a modern service, in optimal conditions, as well as advanced technology.
The Chief of the Oncology Service at the University Hospital Center, Prof. As. Dr. Agim Sallaku, explained to Prime Minister the project, which has special specifications in its construction and later in its operation. “This is the area of the new system of radiotherapy equipment, namely the linear accelerators and some equipment of other accessories. These are very special constructions because of the problems, reinforced concrete walls with specific densities, according to the atomic agency, approximately two meters thick, in order to be safe both for the environment and for employees. This is the most advanced technology ever made. I believe that with the installation of accelerators, we achieve more or less the parameters of normal cancer treatment as any other country of the world.”- Prof. Sallaku said.
Prime Minister Rama said that the struggle for health is a fundamental battle of the government, and the priority of the Albanian Renaissance Program.
Statement of Prime Minister Rama, after inspecting the TUHC:
Sharing with citizens the awareness that the health site must necessary be a successful site, I would like also show my appreciation for the extraordinary job done by the Minister, the Ministry of Health and leaders of our hospitals, starting from this one which is a fundamental hospital for the health service, and which has a terrific overload due to the fact that the system was ruined for many years, so bad that for people this place has remained the only hope, which often has been deceived for many years. We are here today to witness that not only the site is built on the right benchmarks, but step by step it is starting to give the expected results.
The struggle for health is a fundamental battle of our government, a priority of our Albanian Renaissance program. It is an effort that we will make every day and night, despite the cynics and despite all those who point a finger and accuse us for things that are clearly a heavy legacy of a past that Albania is leaving behind day by day.
On the other hand, as we have warned, the greatest national battle will unfold in the coming days, a joint battle of the government and citizens against corruption. A part of this platform will be dedicated to the common battle against corruption in the health system. I believe that this will give us an added strength in this battle, because the more citizens become part of this battle, the sooner we can take health in light of the renaissance that we want and will make possible together.
Finally, I want to note that 16 months is too little time to transform into a full success story a comprehensive platform of collapse like the one we inherited, but in 16 months changes in health are real. Changes in this hospital are tangible, as they are in other hospitals in Albania. These are changes that are sufficient to understand one thing: that on 23 June 2013 the ambition for a modern Albania won; the ambition to finally see a functioning state that is on duty for citizens, despite the ambition for power in function of robbery and destruction of our common country. We are here to continue along with the citizens this battle and without the slightest doubt, as we are witnessing in all areas, not only we do not step back, but rather we make every day a step forward and we know our challenges, we face them and win over them. The same we will win this challenge.
I have not forgotten what I said, that at the end of this term, we will have the debate on health, as it was and as it became, here in this hospital. In this hospital we will talk again with all those who have the courage to point the finger and accuse rather than keep their silence and try to understand that what they did to Albania was a great betrayal that cannot be overcome by pretending that they were not here.
Health Minister Ilir Beqaj:
Some important efforts have been crowned and continue to strengthen the health system in Albania, and practically the hospital and primary system. We are committed to set up a national service of emergency which has started the legal basis and is working to create the entire system in place, but obviously it is necessary to strengthen our capacity with ambulances. Here we have 20 new ambulances, which will be available to hospitals in the country in order to improve emergency service.
It is imperative that we reach on the optimal time requests for emergency, and it is also necessary to reduce the maximum number of patients who come to emergency rooms with their means and are not assisted since the beginning by medical staff.
We are continuing with a very significant investment to improve our therapeutic capacity for tumor diseases. We are building the bunker for a linear accelerator, which we believe will be operational by early fall, because it is effective and modern device for the treatment of tumor diseases.
Very important is also the improvement of direct service to patients, which we believe will achieve by launching the Consulting Centre, which will host approximately 300 patients per day to reduce many comings and goings within THUC. This way, the whole outpatient service will be provided within this center. We will open the Health site with very important investments to begin this year in this hospital, but also in other hospital and primary centers across the country.
Director of the University Hospital Center:
It is known that the TUHC served the greatest inflow of patients in the entire country and offers specialized services. It is very important that today we started to think beyond self-service hospital to hospitalize patients in wards, but also for those who need to have a direct service in a specific time, and for those who come to the hospital center outside Tirana, with the intent to provide a modern environment, with every kind of services and without delays. One of the government’s priorities and our priority is the service of the oncology hospital. In this context, another investment has started for the bunker and the linear accelerator, as a qualitative leap for the oncology service to deliver a better service to the patients treated with radiotherapy, and precisely through the linear accelerator.
