Investigation/ How oxygen for patients in Albania is bought 3-4 times more expensive than in the countries of the region

2024-10-10 17:48:00, Denoncim Elvi FUNDO

Investigation/ How oxygen for patients in Albania is bought 3-4 times more

Illustrative photo

SPAK launched a few years ago an investigation regarding the monopoly business that receives tens of millions of euros from the taxes of Albanians and has medical oxygen as its source in Albania.

Actually the term medical oxygen, gas and liquefied gas was made by a decision of several years ago, since oxygen is oxygen, but it is registered as a medical drug.

This has led to the creation of a monopoly at the Ministry of Health, where only "GTS" (Albanian Technical Gases) and "Messer Albagaz" win in the matter of medical oxygen.

So, these two companies in various forms of cooperation between them turn out to have earned tens of millions of euros in a few years.

In one of the cases that we will give below, it is about 16.7 million euros in one procedure and about 3 million euros in another procedure. So, about 20 million euros are from the year 2022, when the procurement was made for two years for the supply of medical oxygen. The tender was made by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, but what CNA has investigated is related to the expensive price of medical oxygen in Albania.

Ministry of Health and Social Protection

In fact, SPAK has opened an investigation regarding this monopoly, made seizures a few months ago, there is a lot of news regarding this issue, with the way this market works, where only the two above-mentioned companies profit, there connection between each other.

There are also facts and evidence that SPAK is investigating after seizing the phones, but the problem lies in the fact that Albanians pay 3-4 times more for oxygen than countries in the Region.

We sent a letter to the Ministry of Health, which is the one below, which clarifies us, emphasizing that the relevant amounts have been procured from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.

Letter to the Ministry of Health

According to a VKM of October 13, 2021, i.e. fixed three years ago, where the Ministry of Health was charged with carrying out the procedures.

On the basis of the VKM, the procurement for drugs from 2022 to 2024 has been developed. The Ministry of Health also gives us the exact values ??related to the procedure.

THE CASE OF ALBANIA

But what happens will be shown below after this document.

The Ministry's document gives us a determined value, without VAT for liquid oxygen, 12,744,522 liters of liquid oxygen worth about 1.6 billion new alleks, about 16 million euros and another value that is about 290 million new alleks, about 3 million euros approximately for an amount of about 8,414,179 liters of oxygen gas in this case.

Answer back to CNA, the figures in the documents, the price of oxygen for Albania

In a simple value calculation by dividing the amount of money without VAT and liters of oxygen, it results that in Albania the purchase of liquid gas is made at the value of 1.2 euros without VAT, which is about 1.5 euros/liter of liquid gas.

This is the figure according to the official letter of the Ministry of Health.

We did not go into the procedures or the investigation related to the tenders, it is already under investigation by SPAK. There have been, as we pointed out, investigations, many denunciations.

Other media have reported somewhere and in an abusive manner, but we are dealing with the disturbing phenomenon why Albanians have to pay 3-4 times. Below are other details about this investigation.

Media reports

THE CASE OF KOSOVO

We are bringing some documents. This is a document of the Republic of Kosovo. A framework public contract for 12 months, that is, the government of Kosovo, has purchased medical gas, liquid gas for 1 year.

It received an amount of 720 thousand liters from the company "SOL SPA" Italy, which is also connected to the other two companies operating in the Albanian market. So everything revolves around the same people.

Somewhere one of the owners of the Albanian companies is mentioned in SPAK's investigations into the "Ndragheta" wiretapping.

Media reports

As we pointed out above, the purpose of our investigation is the price beyond the many stories and reported scandals.

The facts and documents speak for themselves. This document of the government of Kosovo tells us that in a purchase of 309 thousand euros, the value per unit with VAT in this case is 0.43 euros/liter of gas.

The price of oxygen in Kosovo

So, in Albania with VAT it is about 1.5 euros/liter, in Kosovo the same product, medical gas, is bought at the value of 0.42 euros/liter.

So, if we remove the VAT, the price comes out to approximately 0.35 cents, i.e. about 350 old lek.

This is the price that was contracted according to the documents. Here you will find the complete documents, you can click on this link for the complete documentation, while we are publishing only page 1 of the document related to this matter. ( READ HERE )

THE CASE OF NORTH MACEDONIA

On the other hand, we have also received this second contract, which again consists of the same network of companies connected with "Sol", with "Messer Albagaz", with the other names we mentioned above and if you look at the values in North Macedonia they are 2-3 times lower and we always talk about liquid oxygen for medical use, which is claimed to be 99.5% pure.

Oxygen for medical use with 99.5% purity

According to official data, from this contract made on behalf of the government of North Macedonia in the document on page 11, if you look at Oxygen (O2) for medical use, we have specified it with a simple calculation, the value is 0.45 cents/liter gas.

Oxygen price for North Macedonia

conclusion

So, in Kosovo we have a price of 43 cents, in North Macedonia we have a price of 45 cents with VAT, in Albania we have a price of 1.5 euros/liter of gas with VAT.

Here you can also read the contract of North Macedonia. ( READ HERE )

We did a very simple investigation. After many media reports about a monopoly market, SPAK investigations, denounced scandals, stories with "Ndragheta", we focused on finding similar contracts and it turns out that people who through some companies like "Messer Albagaz", "GTS", "Sol" and other companies connected to their network in North Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania, in our country, give the price of gas 3-4 times more with VAT. ( READ HERE )

The calculation is simple.

The document of Kosovo shows us 0.43 cents/liter, the document of North Macedonia shows us 0.45 cents/liter, the document of Albania according to the Ministry of Health in a simple calculation, the liter of gas with VAT is 1.5 euros/liter.

These are facts with official documents of the government of Kosovo, official documents of the government of North Macedonia and we are facing the fact that the Albanian state, the Albanian government buys liquid gas at a price 3-4 times more expensive.

SPAK already has another very important fact about the monopoly of liquid oxygen in Albania and this is the price.

The documents of Kosovo and the documents of Macedonia tell us what happens./ CNA