The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Klodiana Spahiu, and the Minister of Justice, Toni Gogu, have carried out a visit to the Shënkoll prison, focusing on improving healthcare and treatment conditions for persons subject to security measures. The visit is linked to the measures foreseen in response to recommendations from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), the European Court of Human Rights, and national monitoring mechanisms.
The two ministries, under the coordination of the Prime Minister’s Office, have drafted a joint plan of measures to improve treatment conditions and guarantee healthcare standards for persons subject to medical measures. The Ministry says the regulatory framework for establishing and operating a Special Medical Institution has been approved, while procedures for investment in the new infrastructure are still ongoing.
Pending the operation of this institution, work is under way to transfer responsibility for providing healthcare at IEVP Lezhë from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. According to the ministry, healthcare services at the institution are currently supported through part-time engagement of psychiatrists from local health structures, as well as the provision of laboratory and imaging tests and consultations with specialists.
For hospital treatments and interventions, including surgical ones, the announcement states that services are provided through the Lezhë Regional Hospital and the “Mother Teresa” University Hospital Center in Tirana. According to the Ministry of Health, diagnostic, epidemiological and technical support, as needed, is provided by the Local Healthcare Unit in Lezhë and the Institute of Public Health. The Ministry of Health presents this process as part of the reform to integrate healthcare in criminal sentence enforcement institutions within the public health system.