The newly-built municipal hospital, an Albanian government-funded project under the post-earthquake reconstruction programme, opened its doors in the town of Laç on Mother Teresa’s canonization day, the symbol of world’s peace and humanism.

The healthcare facility, constructed from scratch under the post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction programme launched by the government in the wake of the devastating and deadly tremor that hit Albania in November 2019, has been best equipped to deliver high quality care services and meet the primary care needs for local residents through the use of a modern infrastructure in line with the optimum conditions and standards.

Prime Minister Edi Rama saw firsthand the brand new hospital premises, accompanied by the Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu, and the medical personnel.

Prime Minister Edi Rama delivered a speech at the inauguration ceremony.

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Hello everyone,

I am very happy that the inauguration of the new hospital here coincides with this special day of Mother Teresa’s sainthood, a day that is naturally experienced and celebrated in a very special way in this part of the country, also due to the eternal presence of St. Anthony, locally known as Shna Ndou church, a pilgrimage site visited by a countless number of Albanian nationals from all over Albania and from other Albanian-speaking territories.

I am very pleased that on this day, while inspecting the new hospital venues, I noticed a group of young physicians, who have already joined the Kurbin hospital personnel to provide their contribution and deliver quality health care after graduating with excellent grades.

I would like to emphasize this because we often happen to hear claims that Albania’s health system is battling shortages in staffing, because doctors and nurses are leaving the country. Indeed, for the sake of truth, I am very pleased to state that we face no shortages in health care system staffing, despite the undeniable fact that a certain number of young nurses and doctors may leave the country and it is their right to test themselves elsewhere, but we have set up a system to ensure reasonable distribution of young human resources upon completing the specializing degree programs. We have set up a more rationalized distribution system of the human resources than it used to be a few years ago, when we inherited a huge deep and unexplainable hole and lack of specialized physicians due to the closure of the specializing degree program for several years.

A decision made by the previous governments and one we have been unable to explain.

The situation is different now and we can combine expertise of the experienced doctors, the ones who share the whole burden of the health care system during the toughest of times, as it is the case of several doctors I had the honour to meet today, and the newly-graduated physicians, who join the system with the passion to deliver care service and the ones that by providing such conditions, like the ones in this hospital, by making available state-of-the-art equipment and devices, like the ones we have installed in this hospital, we encourage, motivate and cherish in them the willingness to work in Albania, and work together with experienced doctors deliver best quality care services to local community and make residents feel good the way they are admitted to the hospital and provide best treatment to them.

And I am really very happy anytime I visit this area here, because not only I see and inspect what has been already done, but also I best realize that many more things will be done to transform and give this area a whole different look.

The government will keep increasing the salaries of doctors, nurses and all health workers, as well as the salaries of teachers. I also hope that we will be able to announce good news for the retired people soon, as we owe them a lot and whatever we can do for them, we will never be able to pay back our debt to them.

Thank you very much everyone!