TIRANA, APRIL 8, 2011     Today, USAID organized a conference to announce the start-up of a new health reform project in Albania.  The U.S. Ambassador to Albania, Alexander Arvizu, Albania’s Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, and the Minister of Health, Petrit Vasili, delivered remarks at the opening of the conference.  USAID Enabling Equitable Health Reforms (EEHR) project is a five-year initiative that will increase access to essential health services for the poor and support national health policy reforms. 

Corruption in Albania’s health sector is one of the primary barriers to fair and equal access to health services.  Due to the high incidence of out-of-pocket payments for health services, Albania’s poor are disadvantaged in accessing health services, driving up costs in an already underfunded sector and increasing public health risks.  To reduce corruption and improve governance in the sector, changes must be made at the national and regional policy levels.

In his remarks at the events, Ambassador Arvizu affirmed U.S. support for the Government of Albania’s efforts to improve sector governance by helping fight corruption in the health sector and encouraged leaders to develop a clear vision and strategy to implement equitable health reforms.

USAID will work with Albania’s health institutions to better define their optimal roles and enact a transparent and well-governed structure for the system; create anti-corrupting codes of conduct; develop and implement transparency and accountability measures; and design corruption-mitigation programs.