Albania boosts emergency services with new ambulance fleet

Albania's National Center for Medical Emergency has, over the past 10 years of operation, handled around 3.5 million calls and carried out over 800,000 on-site missions.

The center’s capacity has tripled with a new fleet of ambulances, equipped with modern devices to ensure fast and safe interventions across the country, CE Report quotes ATA.

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Evis Sala, accompanied by the director of the National Medical Emergency, Skënder Brataj, visited the center and met in person with the medical staff and personnel working there.

Sala said that the center has operational readiness, especially during this sensitive period due to the holidays.

“There is more movement, but from my side as a doctor, and from an institutional perspective, I want to thank you,” Sala said.

“This is a sensitive period with increased traffic, so a quick response makes all the difference. Our emergency capacities are fully operational in coordination with all security structures to respond immediately to any emergency,” the minister declared.

“Our priority is that every call receives an immediate response and that every citizen receives the proper assistance, wherever they are – a commitment that ensures uninterrupted healthcare services and smooth operation during the festive season,” she added.

Brataj gave a presentation of the entire institution, from the entrance where temperatures are measured to the training room.

He said that the coordination unit is the brain of the institution.

“We have three doctors providing medical consultations along with the nurses. The first call is received by the nurses. Each has a system with three monitors: one displays the contact numbers, another shows the data sheet, and the third has a filter that codes the illness. All ambulances are tracked on Google,” Brataj explained.

The director of the National Medical Emergency also highlighted the maximum emergency room, which was used during the earthquake and the pandemic.

“It is a room that, if something happens, is immediately activated at zero time, but it is also used for training,” he noted.

Minister Sala said that these elements must also be coordinated with fast-changing digital technology.

Brataj presented the training room, noting that over 10,000 trainings have been conducted there in total. He also added that a similar center will soon open in Vlorë.

Sala thanked the team of doctors for their readiness and operational capacity, which she said “is the heart of the healthcare system.”

Emergency staff presented new protocols for managing flows and mobilizing the network of ambulances and motorcycle ambulances in high-risk areas to ensure full coverage during the festive period.

The National Center for Medical Emergency, with teams on full standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is committed to responding to every emergency and providing medical assistance to citizens at any time.