BY ILDA HOXHA
The Internal Diseases Hospital, part of the University Trauma Hospital, officially started operating on Tuesday, June 20th. However, this timeframe was beyond the earlier promises made by the government. In October 2022, they pledged that work on Internal Diseases Service No.1 and No.2, with a capacity of about 60 beds, would start in February of this year.
In October 2022, the Minister of Health, Ogerta Manastiliu, and Prime Minister Edi Rama inspected the construction works of the Internal Diseases Hospital, part of the University Trauma Hospital.
“While the contract deadline was in May, we aimed to finish it in February (2023), as we were also ready with the furnishing of this new structure,” Minister Manastirliu declared.
Post on Facebook by Minister Manastirliu
But at the end of March, the Minister of Health made another promise, stating that the Internal Diseases Hospital at Trauma was nearing completion, without giving a specific deadline.
On 30 May, Manastirliu announced the hospital’s opening “soon” at the New Internal Diseases Hospital at the University Trauma Hospital.
“Next week, I believe we will open this hospital, which will serve internal diseases and also increase the treatment capacities of patients at the Trauma Hospital,” said Manastirliu.
On 2 June, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that the new hospital would open its doors after a few days, adding that this investment raises the standard of healthcare at the University Trauma Hospital.
However, until June 19th, according to Faktoje’s field verification, the hospital had not yet opened its doors, although the construction appeared to be fully completed.
“The inauguration took place today, but no one is inside. At the moment, no services are offered,” a Trauma Hospital employee told Faktoje on June 19th.
Hospital of Trauma Internal Disease, 19 June 2023
Even in an official response from the Ministry of Health, following a request for information sent by Faktoje, it was confirmed that the hospital had not yet started operating until mid-June.
Even in an official response from the Ministry of Health, following a request for information sent by Faktoje, it was confirmed that the hospital had not yet started operating until mid-June.
“We have completed the works for the reconstruction of the three-story building of the Internal Diseases and the construction of the Link Bridge with the Central Body at the University Trauma Hospital. The value of this investment is 338,677,629 lekë, including VAT.
Internal Diseases Service No.1 and No.2, as well as the Consultation at this hospital, will continue to operate immediately after the completion of the service transfer process,” the Ministry of Health announced.
A few hours after Faktoje’s verification on June 19th, Minister Manastirliu and Prime Minister Rama announced that the new hospital would start working on the following day, June 20th.
Screenshot, post of PM Rama
We went to the field again on June 22nd, and the verification showed that this hospital had finally started its work, although there were some delays in meeting certain deadlines.
Internal Diseases Hospital at Trauma, June 22nd, 2023
According to official information from the Ministry of Health, Internal Diseases Service No.1 and No.2 have a capacity of about 60 beds.
The new hospital is dedicated to providing services in cardiology, pneumology, neurology, endocrinology, hematology, nephrology, rheumatology, and psychiatry. For the first time, it will also include an outpatient structure with expanded capacities, thus easing the central body from the daily flow.
This hospital will serve for the treatment of internal diseases, avoiding the need to send patients to the QSUT clinics to receive the medical care needed for these pathologies
