CNA's Top Investigation of the Year/Debunking the Medical Oxygen Affair

2025-01-01 12:00:00, Denoncim CNA

CNA's Top Investigation of the Year/Debunking the Medical Oxygen Affair

Illustrative photo

CNA has carried out a series of investigations throughout 2024 where, in addition to the hot files such as the incinerators or the "5D" file, where it revealed how officials and former officials put their hands in the pockets of Albanians, it revealed another affair that actually weighs on the backs of poor Albanians.

It is about medical oxygen, which Albania buys 3-4 times more expensive than other countries.

With facts, evidence and documents, we showed how much oxygen is bought in Kosovo and North Macedonia, comparing it with Albania.

After sending the letter from CNA, the ministry document gives us a determined value, without VAT for liquid oxygen, 12,744,522 liters of liquid oxygen worth about 1.6 billion new lek, about 16 million euro and another value that is about 290 million lek young people, about 3 million euros approximately for a quantity of about 8,414,179 liters of oxygen gas in this case.

In a simple value calculation by dividing the amount of money without VAT and liters of oxygen, it results that in Albania the purchase of liquid gas is made at the value of 1.2 euros without VAT, which is about 1.5 euros/liter of liquid gas.

As for Kosovo, CNA published the document that shows that in a purchase of 309 thousand euros, the value per unit with VAT in this case is 0.43 euros/liter of gas. So, in Albania with VAT it is about 1.5 euros/liter, in Kosovo the same product, medical gas, is bought at the value of 0.43 euros/liter.

In the case of North Macedonia, according to official data, in oxygen (O2) for medical use, determined by a simple calculation, the value is 0.45 cents/liter of gas.

So what happens?

We pay 3-4 times the price for oxygen, oxygen for patients. The government can provide oxygen and can say that we have provided it as a service, but why should it provide 3-4 times more than what Kosovo, North Macedonia and the countries of the region offer?

Why should such a monopoly be allowed, because in fact the responsibility is not at all the responsibility of the ministry, which made a tender?

They have made a tender, there is an amount, the offers will come, they studied the local market, but an operator comes instead. This shows that no others come, they are not allowed.

What are doubts? Were they hindered because there were also some small operators who disappeared?

It seems that there is a big operator and a second one playing on the football field without opponents, just replacing each other.

The issue is not simply to hit a business, an activity, who are these companies, nor to hit the officials of the ministry who made this tender. It is simply and only the fact that poor Albanians have to pay 3-4 times more the price of oxygen and the market is a monopoly.

The state has instruments that intervene and resolve these types of cases and problems. It cannot allow the government's own costs to rise indefinitely at prices that are completely abusive.

Investigation/ How oxygen for patients in Albania is bought 3-4 times more expensive than in the countries of the region
October 10, 18:34

THE INVESTIGATION GOES FURTHER.

Beyond the monopoly, CNA has provided some customs practices, confidential, that show us that the company "Messer" has built a sister company "Messer Albagaz", thus setting up a complete scheme that leads to monopoly, to price increases, to control of the market, to everything.

We have been able to provide some invoices, which show us that for the same amount of oxygen, which is liquid oxygen or medical liquid oxygen, for the same amount, the prices are much higher. So, a scheme between mother and daughter.

Investigation/ The affair with medical oxygen deepens in Albania
November 22, 2:33 p.m

The scheme clearly shows that in Albania the nurse must declare every year to the National Agency of Medicines, the medical drugs that she brings and according to the Albanian law it is not allowed that the profit for medical products is more than 11%.

When the daughter, that is the company "Messer Albagaz", makes the declarations in Albania, the offer from the mother gets the maximum.

To make it even simpler.

A subsidiary company receives the most expensive offer from the parent company and all the money goes abroad, so all the money goes to the mother in Serbia.

Although oxygen is cheaper there. The Albanian state finds it quite simple to see the region, to see Kosovo, to see North Macedonia, to see the customs practices, to see the quantities, the same codes.

Although with the quantities there is another story that CNA will bring in the future, since Albanian hospitals consume oxygen even more than some of the main hospitals in the region, not only because of the number of patients, but also because there are no patients inside Albanian hospitals have a big difference in oxygen consumption.

CNA investigation on medical oxygen/DP: In Albania it is bought 2-3 times more expensive than the region, SPAK to investigate
October 19, 10:59

The scheme is quite simple. Mother and daughter play with the price, create a monopoly market in Albania and do not pay any tax to the Albanian state, since according to the data we received recently, the VAT has also been removed.

Medical oxygen in Albania is a case of an affair, it is a case of scandal, it is a case to prove whether there is corruption, but which is a monopoly with predetermined prices, controlled and managed by companies that play schemes with each other .

This has already been proven by the practices we have in hand. We always talk about the same amount of oxygen at prices 3-4 times more expensive in Albania, which are cheaper in the region.

The Ministry of Health has the duty to at least write a letter to colleagues in the region to understand what is happening. It has the duty to control the amounts in hospitals and the differences within hospitals in Albania and everything comes out clearly, how the scheme of the oxygen affair works in Albania./ CNA