FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqaj, has reacted after the termination of the concession contract for the sterilization of surgical instruments, calling this agreement a success for the Albanian healthcare system.
In a public statement, Beqaj emphasizes that the public-private partnership contract for "integrated services for the supply of personalized sterile sets of surgical instruments", signed on December 10, 2015, officially ends on March 8, 2026.
He underlines that criminal investigations into this contract began only 4 days after its signing and that over the years charges have been filed for 11 different criminal offenses, but according to him, there is still no final decision from the courts.
According to the former minister, from tomorrow the sterilization service will continue to be offered by a public enterprise recently created for this purpose. This service is used in about 110 surgical rooms in public hospitals in the country and, according to him, is used every day by about 450 surgeons who perform interventions on patients.
Beqaj argues that the contract was concluded at a time when the health system was facing a lack of investment and outdated equipment. According to him, in 2013, surgical instruments and sterilization equipment in some hospitals dated back to the late 1970s. He adds that the concession contract brought about the modernization of the sterilization service and improved conditions for surgical interventions in hospitals.
According to the data that Beqaj lists:
In 10 years, around 575 thousand surgical interventions have been performed with instruments sterilized according to standards.
The number of operations has increased from 50 thousand per year in 2013 to 67 thousand in 2025.
The average patient stay in the hospital has decreased from 6.5 to 4.8 days.
In total, according to him, about 970 thousand days of hospital stay have been saved. The private partner has invested over 3 billion lek in equipment and technology, which are now being transferred to the state.
Beqaj also claims that the reduction in hospital infections has contributed to saving around 40 lives per year.
In his statement, the former minister rejects interpretations that the transfer of the service to state management constitutes a failure of the concession.
According to him, for citizens the service has always been public and the partnership with the private sector was a solution to modernize the service in the conditions of lack of investment at that time. Beqaj considers this contract a successful example of public-private partnership, calling it "Partnership for Progress".
Beqaj's statement:
PPP – Partnership for Progress
Sot, 8 mars 2026, përfundon kontrata konçesionare e “shërbimeve të integruara të furnizimit të setit të personalizuar steril të instrumenteve kirurgjikalë”. Kontrata është nënshkruar në 10.12.2015, ndërsa hetimet penale për të kanë filluar në 14.12.2015 (vetëm 4 ditë pas nënshkrimit). Janë ngritur në vite akuza për 11 vepra të ndryshme penale dhe ende deri më sot nuk ka një vendim të formës së prerë për këto akuza. Është hetuar deri tani nga 5 prokurorë dhe gjykuar deri tani nga 14 gjyqtarë të ndryshëm. Prokurorët kanë ngritur akuza si në një ruletë ruse, ndërsa gjyqtarët si në një “autoshkollë” të reformës në drejtësi kanë rikualifikuar veprat penale.
Nga nesër, ky shërbim i integruar do të vazhdojë të ofrohet për pacientët shqiptarë që operohen çdo ditë nga rreth 450 mjekë kirurgë në 110 salla kirurgjikale në të gjithë spitalet publike, nga një ndërmarrje publike e krijuar rishtaz enkas për të ofruar këtë shërbim të integruar.
Në 2013, kur mora detyrën e ministrit të shëndetësisë, instrumentat kirurgjikalë dhe autoklavat për sterilizimin e tyre datonin në miqësinë me Kinën komuniste (1978). Në qershor të atij viti, Instituti i Shëndetit Publik rekomandonte mbylljen e disa sallave kirurgjikale në QSUT për ngarkesë të lartë të patolerueshme mikrobike, ndërsa në nëntor të po atij viti Avokati i Popullit, pas një investigimi 2-vjeçar, raportonte se infermieret e sallave kirurgjikale i blinin detergjentët me lekët e tyre sepse spitalet nuk kishin para.
Në vitin 2013, në kushtet e mungesës së fondeve disponibël për investime (40 mln USD ishin detyrimet e prapambetura të Ministrisë së Shëndetësisë ndaj furnitorëve), të shtrëngesave makro-fiskale për huamarrje publike (në 2013 borxhi publik ishte 74% e PBB, ndërsa sot është 53%) dhe të mungesës së “meditëmebë” (knoë-hoë) në strukturat tona spitalore, kontrata konçesionare ishte një zgjidhje efikase që i mundësoi brenda vitit 2015 kirurgjisë shqiptare një transformim rrënjësor dhe një kapërcim epokal 35-vjeçar, duke e sjellë në standarde të larta europiane bashkëkohore.
Sot ajo zgjidhje e propozuar dhe e realizuar në 2015, dmth lënia nën një përgjegjësi të vetme e të gjitha hallkave të rrezikut infeksional në sallat e kirurgjisë, rezulton se paska qenë e mençur, e saktë, e drejtë dhe e qëndrueshme.
Kushdo që mendon dhe deklaron se shteti po shtetëzon “sterilizimin”, gabohet. Për qytetarin shërbimi ka qenë gjithmonë publik, por në sallat operatore është mundësuar në partneritet me sipërmarrjen private.
Kushdo që mendon dhe deklaron se shtetëzimi është dëshmi e dështimit të konçesionit, gabohet. Madje rëndë. Përkundrazi, kjo është dëshmi e suksesit të kontratës.
Për këtë kontratë, në 10 vite, u shpenzuan 12.9 miliardë lekë.
Falë kësaj kontrate, në 10 vite, rreth 575 mijë ndërhyrje kirurgjikale u realizuan në kushte optimale steriliteti.
Thanks to this contract, from 50 thousand operations per year in 2013, 67 thousand operations were performed in 2025 (the population from 3 million in 2013 is 2.4 million in 2025). That is, in the same surgical rooms and by the same surgeons, 35% more patients were served in the last year of the contract compared to 2013, this being at the same time an increase by the same percentage in the efficiency of Albanian public surgery.
Thanks to this contract, due to the reduction in nosocomial infections and modern minimally invasive instruments, the average hospital stay of surgical patients decreased by 1.7 days (from 6.5 days to 4.8 days). So, in 10 years, 970 thousand days of hospital stay were saved. 970 thousand days of disability and illness were also saved.
Thanks to this contract, private partners invested over 3 billion lek in equipment and technology which are now being transferred free of charge to the newly created state-owned enterprise.
Thanks to this contract, over 100 thousand new and modern surgical instruments were supplied.
Thanks to this contract, 10 modern sterilization units were put into operation in addition to the central one at the QSUT.
Thanks to this contract, the sterilization service of surgical instruments is carried out according to ISO standards.
Thanks to this contract, 280 people were employed, whose monthly remuneration paid 620 million lek to the state treasury (TAP's contribution) over 10 years. The concessionaire operator paid 280 million lek in direct taxes and duties to the state treasury.
Thanks to this contract, 40 lives have been saved each year from the significant reduction in nosocomial infections.
Thanks to this contract, Albanians have lived longer and healthier.
Thanks to this contract, the "meditëmebë" brought in over 10 years by the partner is transferred without compensation to the new state-owned enterprise.
Put on one side of the scale the costs of 12.9 billion lek over 10 years and on the other the financial benefits that I presented above. Do the calculations for yourself whether or not this contract has been beneficial for the health of Albanians, for the quality of healthcare, and for public finances.
In all these years, due to ignorance, envy and political blindness, PPPs have been demonized a lot. This contract is just one of 235 concession contracts in Albania signed after 1990. But this contract turns out to have been a PPP twice. In addition to a Public-Private Partnership, it was also a Partnership for Progress.
Next week it will be 9 years since I left the post of Minister of Health. I held that position for 3.5 years (09/2013 – 03/2017). I am proud of this contract and especially of what was achieved during its implementation as one of the good works that were done in the Albanian health sector when I had the honor and privilege to hold the position of Minister.
Suksese ne jete Beqaj!????????????