Minister of Health and Social Protection Albana Koçiu stated today that, “In the first 8 months of the current year alone, over 8,200 patients have benefited from free dental services”.

“The latest innovation is the availability of the CBCT 3D dental scanner, which guarantees highly accurate diagnostics. For the first time, such a device is offered to all citizens at a public facility”, said Koçiu.

The dentist at the University Dental Clinic Renato Isufi said that this clinic offers surgical, therapeutic and pedodontic services.

“From January 2025 to August 2025, the dental clinic provided services to approximately 8,200 patients. Recently, it has become possible to introduce dental implants and a dental scanner for a better and more qualitative service,” he said.

Investment in modern equipment has increased the range of new services offered, setting a new standard in public dental service at the Tirana University Dental Clinic. /e.i/j.p/p.s./

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku, political leader of the Socialist Party for Fier Region, visited this center from very close. Thanks to its specialized staff and new investments in equipment and supplies, this clinic offers quality dental services.

Built 5 years ago, the clinic consists of 40 rooms with 40 dental chairs and two laboratories. It is widely visited not only by the citizens of Lushnja municipality, but also by foreign citizens.

The doctor who runs this clinic said that, “95% of the clients here are foreigners, most of whom come from Italy. Today, there are 300 Italians who stay in Lushnja for an average of 7 to 10 days. They are in Lushnja to perform dental interventions and return two to three times depending on the type of work they have to do”.

He said that besides development of maritime, mountain, cultural tourism, etc., dental tourism is also being developed.

Balluku said that tourism in our country is having good experiences. She added that the same like in Turkey, “Regardless of maritime and cultural tourism, it is precisely the health sector that has given the greatest support to the development of tourism as a whole there”.

She appreciated tourism as the “engine” in the chain development of a number of sectors of the economy, while emphasizing dental tourism as a potential subsector for promoting tourism as a whole. In addition to health services, Balluku said, “They can turn from patients into clients of Albanian tourism”. Balluku also got acquainted with the level of dignified salaries that this clinic offers to its staff, which varies on average from 1 thousand to 1500 euros, while the employees are young dentists from different regions of the country. /a.f/r.e/p.s./

Minister of Health and Social Protection Albana Koçiu highlighted the efforts to strengthen school health programs by increasing attention to health care for the children.

She emphasized that the new dental clinic, with modern conditions, will offer free of charge visits to about 900 children from the schools in the Lapraka and Astir neighborhoods.

“In Tirana Region, there are 62 dental clinics located in 260 schools, making an equal and unified distribution to take care of the surrounding schools that do not have a dental clinic. Thus, the dentist in the dental clinic that we have set up here at the “Andrea Stefani” school will also serve the surrounding schools. But, what is most important, the dentist will also serve two communities that are quite numerous such as Municipal Unit No 11 and the Astir area. Meanwhile, the school also offers another program, that of vision screening, as well as advice on healthy eating”, emphasized the minister.

Also, the minister of health noted that, “The winter season has its own difficulty because of the influenza viruses and for this reason, we have provided continuous advice that the people should be vaccinated, especially children and the elderly should get the flu vaccine”.

“There is a good pace in terms of vaccination. Around 76% of the population has already got vaccinated. There are vaccinated especially those groups that we have defined as risk groups,” said Koçiu.

In total, there are 155 dental clinics in 1,159 schools nationwide that offer free of charge visits to students for the early identification of oral pathologies, rotten teeth, prevention and health education in schools. /a.f/p.s./

“At the University Dental Clinic, we have enabled the installation of an advanced digital technology, extra oral 3D scanner, surgical motor and piezosurgery unit, improving free dental services for the strata in need, children of the Roma community, social care institutions, the elderly as well as persons who are treated with economic assistance”, said Koçiu.

The minister said that the University Dental Clinic works in close cooperation with the Faculty of Dental Medicine to perform clinical practice procedures with patients for students of the Faculty of Dental Medicine.

This clinic offers: Filter services; Orthodontics; Orthopedics; Maxillofacial Surgery; Therapy.

Koçiu expressed full confidence that this clinic, already under the new leadership, will continue to take to another level the impact of all the investments that have been undertaken.

“Our primary goal is to serve the citizens and increase the quality of the service, which is possible only through cooperation, capacity building and the formation of new generations”, said Koçiu./p.s./

Prime Minister Edi Rama shared today on social media moments from this program which provides children with quality treatment of teeth with modern devices.

Rama said that next week, Mobile Dental Clinics will be in Peqin, Kolonja, Devoll and Korça.

The school dental service program and the vision care program serve about 230,000 children in the age group of 6-14 years old.

After establishment of 19 new dental cabinets in the schools of Tirana, Elbasan, Shkodra and Durrës, since February, there has started the provision of a new dental service for school children, mainly in rural areas, with two mobile dental units, the expansion of this service will continue with new dental cabinets in other regions of the country. /m.m/ /gj.m/p.s./

Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu together with Mayor of Kamza Rakip Suli closely followed the screening of children for oral health care, through mobile dentistry units at the “Monsignor Nikoll Kaçorri” school in Kamza.

“There are two units, which are already on the ground, offering dental care for children aged 6-14”, said Manastirliu.

Considering children’s health as primary, Manastirliu also spoke about the vision care program in schools.

“Both of these programs directly affect over 240,000 children in the age group from 6-14 years old and which ensures periodic checks regarding vision care and dental care. We will continue to expand these programs, because our focus is on children, because children are first in our policies”, said Manastirliu.

On his part, Mayor of Kamza Rakip Suli expressed gratitude that these mobile dental units start working precisely from Kamza.

The mobile dentistry units are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and will serve as mobile dental cabinets for school students, mainly in rural areas. /r.e/p.s./

Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu, together with Ambassador of Switzerland Ruth Huber and representatives of health structures participated in the activity for the presentation of the two mobile dentistry units.

“Now, we come into a new stage of investment in terms of the dentistry program for children in schools and it is precisely these two mobile dental care units that will enable us not only to have dental care for children in urban areas, but also in remote areas, through mobile units, which will also have dentists, nurses, technicians who will take care of the oral health of children in remote areas”, said Manastirliu.

The minister said that these mobile dental units will move throughout the country according to a certain calendar.

On her part, Ambassador Ruth Huber considered it an important investment for children’s dental care in rural areas.

“I am very happy to be with you today at the inauguration of two mobile dental care units for school-aged children funded by the Embassy of Switzerland. The two mobile units complete the Albanian government’s investment in providing this service to children who live in rural areas”, said Huber./k.s/p.s./

“With the investments that the Albanian government has undertaken, 18 dental units, new dentistry units, have been added to our schools. After Tirana and Durrës, we have already started in Elbasan. There are three new dental units which have been placed in three schools here in Elbasan where they are organized on a territorial basis”, said Manastirliu, adding that within the year it is intended that two mobile units will go to rural areas to carry out oral screening of students.

Manastirliu and Kushi also saw closely implementation of the vision care program in this school, a program which has been extended throughout the country.

“So far, 98,000 eye screenings have been carried out with the vision program in schools. So we’re very pleased that with our vision screening program and overall health education that’s being given to children about their eyes or taking care of their oral health, we’ve really done our best to include active health service schools. So not just education, but also control, screening, and treatment”, said Manastirliu.

Minister of Education and Sports Evis Kushi said that these programs are very important, adding that there are many programs for children well-being in schools./r.e/p.s./

Prime Minister Edi Rama shared today on social media images from these dental care rooms, where school students receive dental services.

Rama said that, “After the first 10 dental care rooms that we opened in Tirana, we are expanding the network of this service in other cities, where the next three rooms were opened in Durrës, investments that will follow further with the oculist rooms”.

So far, the program carries 3 new dental units in Durrës and 10 dental care rooms in Tirana. The second phase of the program includes 8 dental units that are being installed in three cities, in Durrës, Shkodër and Elbasan.

This investment by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection comes within the framework of the new program “Health in schools”, which supports the health and well-being of children. /k.s/j.p/p.s./

Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu inspected today the complete investment made in the University Dental Clinic.

“After a period of 20 years, the first investment was made in 2018 and I say that it is a historic investment for the University Dental Clinic. During the current year, we have managed to realize the complete investment in this clinic, with new wards, new dental units, graph and other modern equipment which will already offer a very high quality service “, said Manastirliu.

This important investment of the government in the University Dental Clinic guarantees high-quality service for children, the elderly and vulnerable groups free of charge according to the best standards. /k.s/j.p/r.e/p.s./