Albanian Hospitals

G. is a partner with whom NLN is working in Kosovo. As we have written before he has quite some challenges. Here is a short bit about what he writes about the hospital experience. It helps to put some of our challenges into perspective. Please pray for Gregor and his family as well as for his work in Kosovo.


He writes...

Hospital in Albania continues to be an "interesting" place quite unbelievable. While some of the conditions have improved and the place is clean, you (we) still need to bring your own sheets, buy all medicine in pharmacy outside the hospital (in our case each cycle is about 1000 euros) and then give "tips" to nurses and doctors so they don't neglect or ignore you. A patient needs to secure his own assistant to run around to find the nurse when needed. We found out the doctor tells you what the nurse should do and then you tell the nurse. If she has another opinion there starts the trouble.

If you can't convince her and go to get the doctor to tell her, she gives you angry looks. Vendors can show up in your room anytime with things to sell, from clothes, to thermometers, to cigarettes (in a cancer hospital! - Not that you can smoke inside). Healthcare is supposed to be free in Albania but in between the medicine hospital doesn't have and the "tips" you have to give it trails not far behind what you would pay anywhere in the west if you have no insurance.