By Boldnews.al
With a serious lack of transparency and without any public consultation, the government has designed the concession for “Provision of hospital hospital services” in the 2017 budget. Over 65m euros from public funds are expected to be awarded for the next 10 years, while the contractor will have 18 state labs available, including facilities, equipment and reagents.
In the 2017 draft budget it is clearly seen that the Ministry of Health has caused a huge financial pitfall to our country from the concessions granted in 4 years of governance. The latest in the Voice of Health is the concession for hospital service laboratories, which include the biochemical, clinical and microbiological laboratories of all the hospitals of the country, with a limit fund of 886.300.000 lek per year.
Demand for financial support for this concession or as the government calls the Public Private Partnership (PPP) government has been made by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment and has received the approval of the Ministry of Finance by introducing it into the 2017 draft budget package .
At the end of its governing term of 2017, Rama and Beqaj are expected to reward one of their clients by robbing billions of Leks from the pockets of Albanians. The government’s justification, as well as other cases, is that the government is not able to invest in these laboratories, so it requires “to improve laboratory services through private sector participation.”
The decision to grant the laboratories concession was taken without making any feasibility study or other assessments and analyzes. But to justify the decision and to give him a dose of credibility, the government agreed in February 2015, against the $ 74,000 fee, IFC’s expertise in technical assistance in drafting the concession project and the preparation of the tender.
But sources for Boldnews.al confirm that IFC specialists themselves have opposed the idea of the Ministry of Health for granting concessions to state laboratories. In complete secrecy and without notice, a second commission was built again with the blessing of Minister of Health Ilir Beqaj.
There were also voices against the parliament against this concession, where the LIBRA MP Ben Blushi first denounced this new government affair. “Preparations are being made to give the laboratories a concession, where the tests for these sick people are made from contamination. Bill, 8 million euros a year, scheduled for 2017 budget. Can a state-owned private laboratories be awarded to private laboratories? “Blushi said. Chairman of the Health Commission, Albana Vokshi, said that this concession did not come to the assembly for discussion while raising doubts that this may be the next affair to favor businessmen who finance Prime Minister Rama.
Labor concession raises a big question about another suspect and likely clientelist concession to the government. In the concession contract of the general population control service or known as Check-up, it was foreseen that the concessionaire should construct 20 biological and chemical laboratories. But so far, Vilma Nushi’s Check-up has built only three such laboratories, even in inappropriate locations, and has subcontracted existing laboratories in breach of contract terms.
The Ministry of Health continues to be indifferent to this fact and has not taken any impetus or punishment to the concessionaire to secure the construction of 17 other laboratories. Meanwhile, the government believes another private investing. Perhaps both concessions can be merged into the same concessionaire.
Failed Concession
The Labor Concession that seeks to implement the government has been proven in several countries of the world and its results have been negative in most cases.
In Lesotho, (African country bordering Botswana), this concession has been granted for 18 years and has cost half of the health budget. The Canadian Health Profession Union says it is against the privatization of laboratories, since the experience of some Canadian hospitals in 1995-1996 has totally failed. (At Toronto Hospital, at Suunybrook Hospital). According to Canadian experts, this concession damages the quality of emergency service and lowers patient safety.
In addition, a private lab can not respond to the demands of a public structure such as the Mother Teresa Hospital and less national emergencies. If the concession company goes bankrupt, which will privatize the laboratories, then citizens can face a chaos to diagnose diseases such as cancer, leukemia and many more.
Meanwhile, some of the major international organizations and a number of Western governments, including the European Commission, have voiced concerns over the concession of the public labs system as this has proven because it carries great risks to patients and the health of the population.
290 million euros in health concessions
The Ministry of Health led by Ilir Beqaj holds the record of concessions in this 4-year left-wing government mandate. In the General Prosecutor’s Office there is a voluminous file with the charges against Beqaj for the Concession of Check-up, the concession for sterilization of the surgical equipments and the dialysis concession.
If we add to the concession of laboratories, the Albanian economy is further aggravated. There are a total of 290m euros in healthcare concessions held by Ilir Beqaj’s firm.
– 65 million euros Laboratory Concession
– 90 Million Euro Concession Sterilization of Surgical Equipment
– 70 million euros Dialysis Concession
– 65m euros Check-up Concession
Over 29m euros is the bill that the Albanian state pays each year for these concessions that could have been carried out by state hospitals. Compared to the budget as a whole, about 5.9% of GDP goes to Health, where 2.6% is paid by the state and 3.3% of Albanians pay out of pocket money. This is the Renaissance that made the health Ilir Beqaj, a great deal of money to satisfy the clients of the government …
