A novelty that the Trauma University Hospital in Tirana, simultaneously the only trauma centre in the country, has provided to patients are the orthopaedic implants for which they will not have to pay because they are provided for free.
This government investment worth approximately 1 million dollars has been allocated at the same time to the orthopaedics service at the Tirana University Hospital Centre and to the regional hospital in Durres.
Until recently, patients who needed implants had to pay for them at a price twice expensive as the one paid today (form the state budget). In addition to being provided implants that are of quality and guaranteed, patients will save to the household budget approximately 2 million dollars per year.
Accompanied by the Health Minister Ilir Beqaj, Prime Minister Edi Rama visited today the Trauma Hospital in Tirana and visited closely the newest service provided to patients who need implantable medical devices. During the visit, the Prime Minister met one of the patients who had underwent surgery and was applied an implant for free. “I couldn’t do this for 10 years, because I couldn’t buy the implant. I had no other choice, I couldn’t stand it anymore”, – the woman told the Prime Minister. She has been in pain for a long time, because she couldn’t afford buying the implant.
Later on, Prime Minister Rama had a working meeting with leaders and doctors of the Trauma Hospital to discuss the newest projects to renovate and improve the efficiency of the hospital whose infrastructure and functioning has changed radically in the last three years thanks to these investments, and from a health institution left in oblivion, it has been transformed in an important health centre providing modern services.
Doctors also talked about these changes, thanks to which their work has significantly improved and become easier. “The Ministry of Health has made a great revolution in the last 3 years, since 2013. In my opinion, this hospital has received the attention it lacked before. Without the provision with medicines, equipment and recently with implants, work would be unimaginable for us doctors”, – one of them said.
Among the new important projects discussed at the meeting, was that on the new lobby and reception hall which will help improve communication with citizens, patients and families; the project on the new premises of physiotherapy; the completion of the air conditioning system in the intensive care unit, etc.
Approximately 300 million new ALL have been invested during these three years in the hospital trauma for different projects, equipment and technology. One of them is the magnetic resonance, an innovation that has not existed before in this hospital, thanks to which patients can save time and money because they don’t need to go to private hospitals or at the TUHC anymore. “This is the magnetic resonance device, installed in the hospital approximately 14 months ago. Although this is a trauma hospital, it didn’t have a magnetic resonance. And it didn’t make examinations either. Most of the times, patients were obliged to go to other hospitals or private clinics. This fact created problems also in the communication with their family members. Today we meet the needs concerning trauma, but since this hospital has capacity, it meets also the needs for resonance in some districts of the country, so that people across the country will not wait longer than one month, and we have succeeded in this since July of last year. The waiting time for the magnetic resonance, when it is planned, is no longer than one month for anyone across the country”, – Minister Beqaj explained.
Among the other devices are the scanner and the modern monitors in the intensive care room, for which the hospital director explains that they enable monitoring and provide information on the condition of patients in every moment.
“Patients are all monitored. There are 2 doctors who receive information through this device for every patient anytime. 23-24 seriously ill patients come here during summer. The ministry has provided us 6 new respirators.”
Minister Beqaj said that the scanner device is of high technology and quality. “We have had this new scanner device since last year, which was put here deliberately, because here we have the emergency and the intensive care. This is to reduce at maximum the movement of patients. This device also is of very high quality”.
The orthopaedic surgery service as well has improved significantly, thanks to the benefits from the public-private partnership of the integrated service of surgical instruments.
