Scandal with hemodialysis, the American Hospital zero investment in equipment and uses doctors from public hospitals, the government has no control, KLSH raises the alarm

The High State Control has found a mountain of violations for the provision of dialysis in the country. There are many people who have kidney problems and unfortunately they have to undergo dialysis. The government decided that this service should be provided by the private sector. The concession was granted in 2015 to the company "Dia Vita", behind which the American Hospital is hidden. But KLSH, in an audit it did, discovered that until a year ago, the concessionaire was not checked on how he implemented the contract. "There has been no continuous monitoring by the responsible institutions (MSHMS and FSDKSH) for the implementation of the concession contract and other contracts concluded between institutions depending on FSDKSH for the provision of Hemodialysis service. According to the national program on the prevention, early detection and treatment of chronic kidney diseases in Albania, drawn up by the "Mother Teresa" university hospital center, the nephrology-dialysis-transplant service must carry out annual monitoring for the followed hemodialysis protocol. FSDKSH must have a nephrologist in the control groups. In fact, the monitoring carried out by the FSDKSH through the regional directorates for HD centers is done only for the financial elements of the number of sessions. Also, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has not periodically monitored the service provided in public hospitals according to the requirements of the concession contract", emphasizes KLSH.

Use of physicians

According to the report, the Ministry of Health, in the role of the contracting authority, started monitoring the dialysis service offered through the PPP in 2022, i.e. about 7 years from the beginning of the concessionaire's service offering. Also, KLSH has concluded that we have the same scandal as with Check Up, for this service provided by the private sector, doctors from public hospitals are used, reports "Pamphlet". "During the field phase, the audit group was accompanied by the DRF in several visits to the dialysis centers in Elbasan, Berat, Fier, Lezhë, Shkodër, Korçë, Vlorë, where it found that, in general, the nephrologists who covered the service for the dialysis centers were the same ones who served in public hospitals. MSHMS did not answer the question "What were the reasons why a working group was not set up and the hemodialysis service offered through the concession contract was not periodically monitored?", the High State Audit emphasizes.

Enter American Hospital

 Meanwhile, the other scandal is that the American Hospital has not invested in equipment and infrastructure. According to KLSH, the contract states that he must invest and at the end of the agreement the equipment and all the investment goes to the state. "According to the concession contract, reinvestment in medical equipment will be 100% and will begin in the last 4 years. The concessionaire has not started investing in medical equipment again, even though the concession contract has been entered into the eighth year of implementation. Medical equipment, after the end of the contract, will remain the property of public hospitals", emphasizes KLSH. Another finding is that there is no identification of some chronic patients who were designed to perform the service near the dialysis center of the concessionaire, but chose to perform the service near other dialysis centers that are covered by the non-public hospital, which creates premise for double payment of a dialysis session.