The 3rd Diaspora Summit, which is being held in Tirana, brought together participants from different countries, such as Kosovo, Spain, the USA, the Netherlands, Italy, England and Greece, to discuss and exchange experiences about the role of the doctor, technological development in the field of health and health innovation.

In the Panel of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, “Exchange of experience, contribution and role of doctors from the Diaspora in Albania”, the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Albana Koçiu, considered it important to hold the Diaspora Summit.

Koçiu emphasized that this extraordinary potential can be transformed into a bridge between doctors who live abroad and those who live and work in Albania, such as health tourism.

“Since the pandemic, which was one of the challenges that put the health system in an extraordinary challenge not only in Albania, but also in the whole world, the number of tourists who come to Albania for health tourism has doubled every year. Exploiting the potentials of medical tourism is not just a word, but an objective born from the need of the time and developed into a real strategy, part of the major program of the Albanian government for the Diaspora 2021-2025″, underlined Koçiu.

She pointed out that one of the key objectives of the health strategy is to increase hospital autonomy, which has only been developing in Albania for a few years.

“I think the expansion of hospital autonomy for us will create new and natural spaces for all doctors wherever they work and wherever they live. A good example in the case of Albania is that of the Memorial Regional Hospital of Fier, which has begun to apply hospital autonomy and is a program, a project that we intend to extend to all our hospitals. The model implemented there, that of an independent management by Turkish and visiting medical staff and local resident medical staff, has established a different foundation stone and a mindset of a new approach to the management of Albanian hospitals”, declared the minister.

Koçiu expressed her conviction and belief that: “It will not be a distant day when all our hospitals will function based on this model and an integrated management of diaspora doctors in the role of visiting doctor and their resident colleagues here in Albania “.