The Prime Minister took part today in the event marking the 10th anniversary of the establishment and operation of the National Emergency Medical Center.

Rama commended the changes within the National Emergency Service, especially regarding human resources, and highlighted that our National Emergency Service now stands on par with those of other countries.

The Prime Minister recalled that “when the restructuring of the Emergency Service began, it met with a very strange reaction and resistance, just like with everything you try to change in Albania.”

Rama emphasized that despite initial resistance, time proved the old system was inefficient and incapable of functioning, and the issue was not about outdated equipment but the system itself.

However, the Prime Minister emphasized, it is time to take this transformation further.

“Firstly, the National Emergency Service has gained full authority, backed by strong evidence of its effectiveness and efficiency. We now have no reason not to fully centralize the entire ambulance system, on-site teams, and emergency coordination under the National Emergency Service. This means we should no longer allow hospitals and other structures to get involved, as they create an unnecessary intermediary. The more we have, the more the mission of the Emergency Service, civil emergencies, and the State Police is compromised,” he added.

The Prime Minister emphasized that we need to take a further step and merge all these structures, which will function independently of one another.

However, according to him, “all calls and the first signal of an emergency, whether environmental, medical, or criminal, should come to one place.”

Rama stated that emergency teams should be directed to a centralized building with three independent units working under the same system, as they often need to collaborate in many emergency situations.

The Prime Minister also recalled the misinformation surrounding the incident that occurred in Pogradec a few months ago, when it was claimed that the ambulance was delayed by 40 minutes.

“The infamous case was intentionally woven into a soap opera by the media and political ‘bunkers.’ A great lie was shown to the Albanian people. Today, the issue of accountability and transparency of the National Emergency Service is no longer a matter of opinions and stories, but is stored in the electronic data bank of the coordination unit, where it can be easily verified on a computer. In the Pogradec case, the ambulance arrived at the scene in 7 minutes,” explained Rama.

/r.e/ /a.f/sm/