The Gjirokastër Regional Hospital, following the transformation of its infrastructure and the modernization of its facilities, aims to consolidate itself as a reference center for the provision of health services across the entire region. Minister of Health and Social Welfare Klodiana Spahiu and Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro visited the hospital premises up close, while also discussing with the medical staff the drafting of the 10-year National Plan for Human Resources Management in Health.
Spahiu focused on investments in hospital infrastructure, stressing that the modernization of health structures is also accompanied by the expansion of capacities for specialized services. She said the hospital includes four surgical theatres, which will be put into operation for various specialties, such as orthopedics, general surgery, ENT and ophthalmology. “This hospital has a structure with standards comparable to those offered in European countries. Within the framework of the health services development strategy, this hospital could be transformed into a national center for traumatology and orthopedics, with the potential to also provide services for the region,” Spahiu said.
Regarding the 2027 project budget, Spahiu emphasized that a new approach is being pursued for organizing hospitals, based on an analysis carried out for all hospital structures, especially those with low utilization of capacities and beds. “We do not want to close the hospital, but to reshape it,” the minister said, underlining that the aim is to preserve capacities and human resources through an organization that responds to the new reality and the needs of the population. Spahiu informed that, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the 10-year National Plan for Human Resources Management in Health is being drafted. “Special attention in this plan will also be given to increasing the quotas covered for resident doctors, with the aim of meeting the need for specialized personnel,” she said.
For her part, Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro described this as good news for the district’s residents, stressing the importance of preserving capacities and human resources in the hospitals of Përmet and Tepelenë. “Investments in hospital infrastructure must go hand in hand with strengthening human resources, so that modernized structures can deliver quality services and better meet the health needs of citizens,” said Spahiu. The Gjirokastër Regional Hospital offers all specialties, including emergency, surgery, pediatrics, infectious diseases, radiology, pathology, and serves 60,000 residents of the district.