The Supreme State Audit reveals the alarming situation regarding the oncology service in the country, where the system established for years to provide chemotherapy at regional hospitals continues to function with deep structural and organizational deficiencies.
The report emphasizes that the chemotherapy units in Durrës, Fier, Vlorë, Shkodër, Elbasan, Korçë and Berat are functional on paper, but with serious shortcomings, while in Lezha this unit does not function at all.
The audit reveals that the problem is not only about capacity, but also starts with the basic documents: chemotherapy units are not listed in the internal regulations of the hospitals, as if they did not officially exist. In practice, they suffer from serious shortages in human resources, not having enough oncologists, specialized equipment, or beds dedicated to treatments that require high safety standards. These shortcomings have made regional hospitals unable to cope with chemotherapy treatment regimens and not guarantee the necessary continuity for patients battling tumor diseases.
Another serious problem identified by the SAI is the lack of computerization. In most regional hospitals, data on oncology patients are still kept in manual registers, which do not match the official data of the Oncology Hospital in Tirana. This outdated practice not only creates confusion in reporting, but also makes it impossible to properly track the progress of treatment, plan medical needs and guarantee transparency. In some hospitals, including Shkodra, Elbasan and Berat, staff do not even prepare care plans for patients in need of palliative treatment, leaving out of any protocol the most delicate group of patients.
The report notes with concern that regional hospitals are unable to plan the number of cancer patients as new cases, nor to design the treatment regimens they should receive from the Oncology Hospital in Tirana. This planning gap significantly increases the risk of a shortage of antitumor medications, a situation that in practice can translate into treatment delays and a serious risk to the lives of patients.
Faced with this dire reality, the SAI calls for immediate intervention. Regional hospitals should include the duties of chemotherapy units in their regulations and draft clear plans for palliative care. The Ministry of Health, together with hospitals, should urgently fill the missing positions of doctors and nurses, provide beds dedicated to oncological treatments and create an online computerized system for reporting and following up on patients with tumor diseases. The SAI findings clearly underline that without a strong and coordinated intervention, the current system risks leaving one of the most vulnerable groups of patients in Albania unprotected./ekofin.al
