For a few days, TV news has talked about a protest of hospital technicians who feared their privatization. In many cases it is associated with the fear of protesters not to lose their jobs. In fact, what is happening rises to be much heavier and with far greater consequences.
The Ministry of Health has planned to pass the total of 18 laboratories into private hands, where the examinations of hospital beds or medical emergencies of public hospitals are conducted. And all this is done in complete secrecy, avoiding the minimum transparency requirements.
This news was only known when the deputies saw that in the 2017 budget was planned to be $ 8 million for this project introduced in the famous PPP (Public Private Partnerships) partnership. When in the Health Commission on December 5, opposition MPs asked Minister Ilir Beqja on the issue he accepted in principle but said that the feasibility report that the government has charged with the IFC has not yet expired.
Then how was $ 8 million planned in the budget, was the question that was born immediately ???
It is clear that this ministry that has begun to ease the pockets of Albanians through concessions is convinced to continue this path. Therefore transparency is minimal. Therefore, in this process imagined that in 2007, which the previous government did not approve due to the dangers it contained, there was no point of transparency. His discussion has avoided all professors and specialists in the field.
Precisely, given the fact that a more concession from the health ministry was becoming insidious, Lapsi.al, decided to investigate. Although it was not easy, because there was no data from the Beqa bunker (except a letter that the minister sent to the Laboratory Techniques Association), we contacted more field specialists, doctors and professors field analysis of the sick.
The alarm they give to this business that apparently on behalf of the free health care Rilindja is using to fill the pockets, is not common. If the 18 hospital laboratories of Albania will pass in private, the risks are great for the patients and the patients, then for the medical university that develops the practices in these laboratories and finally for the state budget itself, from year to year will be more and more burdened as it did with the Concession of Check Up.
From the conclusions Lapsi.al took from dealing with doctors and employees of the sector, he argued that such a move, like that of the “total privatization” of the analysis service to public hospitals, did not dare to undertake any European country. In general, PPP practices in health, so fashionable in Albania, have not been efficient in any Western country. They account for only 1% of investments in these countries with the exception of England and Portugal. While here we are planning to give one hand to 18 laboratories that make up today 80% of the medical analysis market.
What is the risk?
It consists in reducing the quality of the diagnosis for patients. Because decision-making for this will be passed from doctors and professors to a private company that is based on profit rather than quality of patient analysis. “Often times I get back to my two-three times my technical analysis to find the exactest results that are used to diagnose the disease, but with a private one that will only be reimbursed for a one-on-one analysis sick, this is a risk not to happen “, says a QSUT doctor for Lapsi.al. Labor physicians, therefore, fear this government initiative fearing that the private hands-over of hospital labs will affect the independence of medical decision-making and will abolish the autonomy of doctors.
Another aspect that is affected is the fact that these laboratories are the educational center for the students of the university of medicine. And if they start being commanded privately, where will the 800 medical students go to the lab each year? Where will the scientific research work be carried out? Where do the doctors specialize?
Another problem lies in the fact that since the 18 public hospital laboratories make up 80% of the total analyzes conducted in the country, moving them to a single private company would create a monopoly situation.
And that would bring two consequences. The first diagnostic service would be down because the private would take the lab equipment and kits to a single supplier with which to contract and consequently would not be allowed the variety of some firms when it is known that for some analysis there are companies that give more results good and for some tests, are other firms that give guarantees.
But this monopoly situation will do that which will get the green light from Ilir Beqja uncontrollable both for quality, both for security and for the cost (they will be paid with public money) of the analyzes to be carried out.
Given these reasons – we here not to charge the reader have given only the tip of the iceberg – the health specialists consulted by Lapsi.al suggest some other solutions. They claim that if the government has predicted a threefold budget for this sector ($ 8 million) it would be better to give some of this money to improve university labs in the country. And the rest would spend on PPP pilot projects with regional hospitals. So would the public sector be maintained and we would not become the only western country that has disappeared from this sector.
Moreover, granting concession to this service falls short of the government’s philosophy Rama, which until now has said it has used PPP only to finance projects for which the state budget has no money. While the project of medical analysis laboratories is not costly because companies make the biggest investment themselves, they bring their own modern appliances enough to supply laboratories with kits and equipment of the same firm (as well as coffee companies that bring express, in order to get the sachets to them).
So since the great cost argument falls, given that concession creates a monopoly situation, given that this sector is one of the most profitable health-makers (unlike cardiology or oncology that never gets profits) the doubts are that with this the initiative is becoming the next successor.
For personal gains, you are getting another coup to the health system.
Much more than world experiences but more and more talk about the failure of PPP forms in healthcare. So since similar experiences have been proven in Canada, the Health Professionals Union of this country concluded that “for not re-applying the Public Private Partnerships which serves to increase corporate profits but reduces the control of the lab and adds financial risk” .
After this quote, debates are in vain. The only puzzling thing to do now is: What will be the company that will benefit from the monopoly gift that is being prepared by Ilir Beqja. (Lapsi.al)