The Minister of Health and Social Protection, Albana Koçiu, participated in the activity organized within the framework of the International Day of Nurses, during which the exhibition “History of Nurses’ Uniforms through the Centuries” was opened.
The focus of this exhibition was the narration through photography of the entire journey of Albanian nursing, from its beginnings coinciding with the establishment of the independent Albanian state, touching the present and moving towards the future.
In her speech, Minister Koçiu stressed that in 10 years of profound and unprecedented reform of our medical system, the key word has been to restore the dignity of the white shirts’ profession.
“For a long time, health workers in Albania were poorly paid and often mistreated. That is why I am proud that in the last 10 years we have carried out an unprecedented reform of the health system, where the key word has always been to restore the dignity of the profession for all of you. Work has been done and we continue to work on improving working conditions. During this period, dozens of hospitals and more than 400 health centres have been equipped with a modern infrastructure, with equipment that makes their work even easier and that represents a new approach to the body of the health system,” she declared.
Koçiu added that “we talk a lot about European standards, but we are aware that it is impossible to provide a high standard of care to patients without first providing that standard to the staff who have to treat those patients”.
The minister also focused on employment through the Doctors and Nurses for Albania portal, adding that “we will continue to improve, step by step, the financial remuneration and the conditions under which you work”.
“Salaries have increased by over 70% and will continue to increase. It is a commitment made by Prime Minister Rama, by the Albanian government, to increase them by 100% by the end of this mandate. Through the portal, more than 5,500 medical scientists have been recruited and started working in our health system, where meritocracy is the key word,” she stressed.
The Minister said that “in July of this year there will be another increase for about 20 thousand nurses of 15,000 ALL and 20,000 ALL for family doctors”.
The minister also focused on another commitment made, such as the creation of Family Medicine Centers, which are centers that will offer a service with all specialties to citizens. According to her, nurses are expected to play a very important role in the smooth running of these centers.
“I would like to share with you the Family Medicine Project, where we are working to open 10 of them by 2025. We are currently working on one center and we will open it very soon, and that is Health Centre No. 10. There is no doubt that nurses have an extraordinary role to play. In addition, while we are in the tourist season, in the summer health centers, nurses are the main point of service in the health centers. This year we have 34 summer health centers that will be open from June 1 to September 30,” concluded Albana Koçiu, Minister of Health and Social Protection.