Cooperation between Italy and Albania has been enhanced in the field of health. Albania’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has opened a building which is home to the new surgical services for Tirana’s University Hospital “Mother Theresa”, as part of an agreement signed by the Region of Umbria and the Republic of Albania. The project involves a budget of 14 million euros, to set uo a major sterilisation centre and 17 sub-centres, to support more than 50,000 surgical operations by 555 surgeons in 153 operating theatres of the 40 hospitals in Albania. The project includes providing 3,000 customised surgical instrumentation sets, 6,000 different types of surgical instrumentation, 71 types of sets, and 96,000 general and specialisation surgical instruments. “A true revolution which equips Albania with elements of Italian excellence in healthcare, making us approach European standards, and creating new jobs,” said the Albanian prime minister at the ceremony. It was also attended by Minister of Health Ilir Neqai and his deputy Klodian Rjepaj, the Italian Ambassador in Tirana and representatives of the contractors, dignitaries of the Umbria Region and members of the hospital’s scientific staff.
