The Institute of Public Health (ISHP) will have a new corpus of reference laboratories in transformed environments and contemporary conditions to guarantee the quality and protection of citizens’ health.

The Minister of Health and Social Protection, Albana Koçiu, accompanied by the Director of ISHP, Eugena Tomini, today inspected the progress of the works for the construction of the new laboratory unit of ISHP, investment of the government and the Ministry of Health.

Minister Koçiu said that in a construction area of ​​about 3000 m2, all the laboratories of the Institute of Public Health will be systematized.

“Reference laboratories will be located here with completely modern conditions. In addition to the infrastructure, we will make sure that we also have a series of important laboratories that have held and will hold an extraordinary weight where ISHP and experts work continuously to guarantee the quality of health to the citizens”, underlined Koçiu.

The Minister affirmed that “within 2025, we have foreseen that all ISHP laboratories will be placed in contemporary conditions and separated from the administration, enabling another renovated and suitable environment for all employees”.

Also, the Minister of Health, Koçiu spoke about the situation created by viral diseases, monkeypox and Nile fever.

“We have the situation absolutely under control as all measures have been taken by ISHP as well. But even as far as the monkey pox is concerned, we have not been affected either as a country or as a region.  We haven’t had any case”, declared Koçiu.

The Minister of Health appealed that for the situation created by Nile fever, coordination with the local government is very important, especially in the cities where cases have been identified.

The director of ISHP, Eugena Tomini, informed that “the laboratory of virology for emergency diseases has increased the capacities even more in terms of laboratory diagnosis for monkey pox as well as vaccination capacities where 100 vaccines of primary cases, contacts have been provided theirs and then to continue with the risk groups”.

The Head of the Unit of Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases Silva Bino affirmed that they have strengthened all control measures by continuing the entomological investigation in cooperation with the municipalities.

She emphasized that “in the coastal areas we have had no cases as a result of the disinfection program”.

According to the minister, with the completion of the new building, all the laboratories of the ISHP central building will be moved to modern premises to ensure a more effective response to public health, with a higher, contemporary and timely level of laboratory diagnosis.