Low public spending on healthcare in Albania affects not only the quality of services, but also citizens’ life expectancy and the country’s economic development.

This is the conclusion of a report prepared by international experts on behalf of the American Chamber of Commerce, which warns that underfunding the sector is having serious consequences both for the health of the population and for the economy.

According to the report, thousands of Albanians die prematurely because of the low level of public investment in the healthcare system.

Beyond the human cost, the document estimates that the burden of disease reduces workforce productivity, hinders innovation and causes significant economic losses.

Last year, public healthcare spending in Albania averaged 330 euros per capita, a level approximately five times lower than in comparable countries in the region and ten times lower than the European Union average.

Experts argue that increasing public funds for medicine reimbursement, expanding access to modern therapies, and strengthening disease screening and early diagnosis programs would bring considerable benefits.

According to them, if Albania were to approach the funding levels of countries in the region, the economy could generate more than 560 million euros in additional output every year.

The report recommends that the government adopt a gradual plan to raise public healthcare funding to 4% of gross domestic product by 2030, from the current 2.9%.

Achieving this objective would require 457 million euros in additional funding.

Of this amount, 287 million euros would be used to expand reimbursement for medicines, modern therapies and preventive programs, while the remainder would be invested in primary healthcare, support for medical staff, infrastructure maintenance and digitalization.

The authors of the report stress that this should not be viewed as a burden on the budget, but as an investment with a high economic return, since improving the health of the population directly affects productivity growth and economic development.

The World Health Organization also estimates that countries spending less than 3% of gross domestic product on healthcare are the ones that benefit most from increased investment in the sector.

However, the report notes that projections in the Medium-Term Budget Program indicate a further decline in the share of public healthcare spending relative to the economy.

According to the authors, this approach risks deepening social and economic costs at a time when increased investment in healthcare is needed.

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In a public appearance, Bajrami stressed that the country’s reality cannot be measured through conferences or statistics provided by the executive, but by looking closely at the conditions inside healthcare facilities.

She invited citizens to go to the Pediatrics, Gynecology, Oncology, Orthopedics, and Emergency clinics to witness for themselves the shortages, excessively long queues, and daily challenges faced by both patients and medical staff.

Bajrami clarified that doctors and nurses are not to blame for this reality, as they continue to keep the system afloat despite difficult working conditions.

The LDK MP pointed the finger at the government for mismanaging public money, noting that despite an annual budget of around four billion euros, the healthcare sector constantly suffers from a lack of medicines, medical materials, and basic supplies.

According to the MP, contracts for cleaning, linens, food, and medicines are awarded for significant sums in healthcare, yet patients still face essential shortages. She also highlighted reports of a lack of breast cancer therapy at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK), claiming that patients are forced to secure those treatments themselves.

Bajrami emphasized that this situation has a clear name, directly linking it to the phenomenon of corruption. Political responsibility, she said, lies with the incumbent government, including the Parliamentary Committee on Health, which is chaired by acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

“If healthcare fails, it is not just a government that fails, but the entire state fails,” she said.

Her remarks came just a day after the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK) took very seriously the concerns expressed publicly about the experience of Aulona Memeti’s family during the treatment of their minor child at the Pediatrics Clinic. Consequently, the director of UCCK has ordered the creation of an ad-hoc committee, which is conducting a thorough administrative investigation to clarify all aspects of the incident.

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