"Let's strengthen the role of the doctor"/ Koçiu: Family medicine will be extended throughout the country

2025-05-26 17:20:00, Politikë CNA

"Let's strengthen the role of the doctor"/ Koçiu: Family

For the first time, in implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Primary Health Care Services in Albania 2020-2025, the piloting of the Family Medicine Center in Tirana and Vora is continuing, a focused model of providing family medicine services, in those centers that provide health services to around 30,000-40,000 residents.

The Minister of Health and Social Protection, Albana Koçiu, together with the Rector of the University of Medicine, Xheladin Draçini, closely visited the premises and functionalities of the Family Medicine Center No. 10, which has been offering a wide range of family medicine services for a year.

Minister Koçiu said that this service model is functioning best and that Family Medicine Centers will be expanded throughout the country.

"I am very pleased that today, for almost a year, this center has started to function optimally and is the first swallow of the Family Medicine Centers, which we intend to extend throughout the country. We are strengthening the role of the Family Physician as a key figure who follows the health of citizens from childhood to the third age, with services that include monitoring normal pregnancy, simple microsurgical treatments, management of chronic diseases, and mental health care", said Koçiu.

The Minister of Health also focused on the conveniences that the application of the family medicine model brings to citizens in terms of organization, scheduling, and meetings with doctors.

"This is a good start if we look at the way this center is organized, as well as the fact that all patients who come and knock are clear about the time slots, about the appointments with each doctor, about the relationship they establish between the doctor and the patient, which is the most important thing," explained the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Albana Koçiu.

The importance of family medicine was also brought to attention by the Rector of the University of Medicine of Tirana, Draçini, who emphasized that family medicine is not only the first point of contact with the citizen, but is also the basis on which a sustainable and efficient health system is built.

In addition to medical services, these Centers will also serve as professional training centers for Family Medicine specialists.

For this purpose, a cooperation agreement was signed with the University of Medicine of Tirana to increase the quality of professional training, where students pursuing specialization in Family Medicine will be able to complete their internship at the Family Medicine Center No. 10.

After Tirana and Vora, this model will be extended to other cities, bringing higher quality, closer and more personalized care to every citizen. /CNA