FLASH NEWS
"200 thousand lek per month to inhale oxygen", the state does not reimburse it
2025-05-02 21:53:13 / AKTUALITET
The show "Stop" is set in Tirana in the Hasanaj family, where the head of the family, Tomor Hasanaj, is diagnosed with chronic lung disease.
In the last 5 years, his condition has worsened and the doctor at the Sanatorium tells him that he needs to have 24-hour oxygen therapy at home. "For 5 years, his condition has worsened. He is admitted to the sanatorium every 6 months because the disease is chronic in terms of his lungs. The doctors said that he should stay on oxygen 24 hours a day at home because we cannot keep him in the hospital for the rest of his life. Now we get the oxygen cylinder that we pay for, we had 25 thousand lek for 5 days. But I also fill this cylinder that he takes with him, I pay for a taxi, I also pay the workers for the transport that brings me inside, it costs me 30 thousand lek for 5 days. It costs me almost 200 thousand lek. We have a pension, I have 290, and he has 230. One pension will go to refill the oxygen cylinder," said Tomor Hasanaj's wife.
The cost of oxygen is 200 thousand lek per month, which is the pension of one of the elderly, so they cannot afford it. Due to the high cost, he says that he saves oxygen at night, which for him is actually life itself.
"I have it for 24 hours, I keep it as a reserve at night. I don't take it to 2 or 3, I take it to 1 to help myself economically, to save," said Tomor Hasanaj.
The Compulsory Health Insurance Fund approves the lists of reimbursable drugs, but here the citizen finds no solution. This institution does not have any information about the reimbursement of oxygen therapy.
Citizen: My uncle suffers from lung disease, and they have recommended that he undergo oxygen therapy. Can he do it at a health center or a polyclinic?
Information: This is a problem that we, as a fund, the Mandatory Insurance Fund, do not deal with this part. Which means that we do not have any information about this.
Information: That it is not in them, defined in us.
Information: I don't believe the Health Center has it. But the hospital didn't give you any information about this?
Information: I don't believe that health centers or polyclinics provide oxygen therapy.
Information: Try to get him to the hospital, how to manage him back, to give you information. It's something that goes beyond our function. Do you understand me? We don't deal with that part, but...
The main hospitals and clinics in the capital say that citizens must resolve the issue of oxygen treatment themselves.
Citizen: I have an uncle who suffers from lung disease. He has recommended that he undergo oxygen therapy. What I want to know is, if the Health Center where he is located provides it for him?
Doctor: No! No health center…
Doctor: They don't accept. Specialties, like us, who are specialty clinics, we are an institution for planned services and consultations. Oxygen therapy is a therapy recommended by hospital doctors. When it comes to solving the problem at home, it remains up to the individual to solve it, as was also solved during Covid, where the state did not give you oxygen support during Covid, they say if you need oxygen, do it at home, in the hospital, but no health center offers it, because we don't have it.
Recently, changes were made to the list of reimbursable drugs and oxygen therapy was not deemed reasonable to be included. Doctor Ilir Alimehmeti states that this procedure should be provided by the state to chronic patients.
"Oxygen is essential for life, without it there is no life, which means that if you do not receive it, we have direct damage to health and life, depending on how much your need for oxygen is. We have seen very well in some serious diseases how much oxygen has been needed in extremely large quantities, since it is an essential gas for life, it is mandatory for the health system to cover this. Just like medicines, oxygen is essential for life, it is even more essential. At least in those home conditions that they have, at least they should be relieved of the costs of using oxygen and oxygen should be provided by the state health system. So we should have security and its quality because it is not only a matter of cost, but also of its quality," said doctor Ilir Alimehmeti./ tvklan
Happening now...
83 mandates are not immunity for Rama's friends
Nga Gentian Gaba
ideas
top
Alfa recipes
TRENDING 
services
- POLICE129
- STREET POLICE126
- AMBULANCE112
- FIREFIGHTER128