31 March 1993

Doc. 6803

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

Supplementary Reply to Recommendation 1171 (1991)

on the situation of hospitals in Albania:

priority needs of the Paediatric Institute of Tirana

(adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 22 March 1993

at the 490th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)

1.       The Committee of Ministers recalls its interim reply addressed to the Assembly in January 1992 (469th meeting of the Deputies) and supplementary reply addressed to the Assembly in April 1992 (474th meeting of the Deputies).

2.       It draws the Assembly's attention to the meeting of national advisers in the health field, convened and chaired by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in Strasbourg on 9 February 1993, on emergency aid for the paediatric hospital of Tirana, the only establishment of this kind in operation in Albania. The principal results of this meeting, in which the Assembly among others in the person of the Rapporteur of the Committee on Social, Health and Family Affairs, participated, in addition to the Minister of Health of Albania and the Coordinator of the Swiss Disaster Relief Corps, and other interested parties, were as follows:

      The renovation and equipment project for the hospital is well under way, thanks to a contribution of nearly 6 million FF by Switzerland. However, in spite of voluntary contributions from seven member countries (Cyprus, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, San Marino, Sweden and Turkey), offers of equipment from Hungary and Spain, and a small sum (approximately 100,000 FF) transferred at the end of 1992 from the emergency aid to the Albanian schools operation, nearly 7 million FF still have to be found.

      Urgent appeals were launched by the Secretary General and participants in the meeting for the additional funds which are needed if the project is not to be halted before completion.

      The meeting also took note of proposals, prepared by the Council of Europe Secretariat for the development of twinning, welcomed by the Albanian Minister for Health, between the various services of the Tirana Paediatric Hospital and corresponding services in hospitals in other European countries.