"In 2026, thrombectomy, corneal transplant and breast reconstruction will be offered"/ Sala: Budget begins to address issues

2025-11-19 19:28:00, Politikë CNA

"In 2026, thrombectomy, corneal transplant and breast reconstruction will

Minister of Health Evis Sala has presented the 2026 health budget to the Parliament and stated that this budget aims to address challenges and problems.

Sala said that for 2026, there is a budget of 109 billion lek for healthcare, with the focus on the fight against cancer with a fund of 15 million euros and the social care program of 27.7 billion lek.

The minister stated that for the first time in 2026, thrombectomy, breast reconstruction and corneal transplant will be offered, HPV vaccination for boys, free flu vaccination for pregnant women, children, and the elderly.

" Today we are the country with the highest average life expectancy, at 79 years compared to 75 in the region. Over the last decade, the government has made significant improvements in increasing salaries and hospital infrastructure."

There are also challenges as the aging of the population has increased cardiovascular, pulmonary, and tumor diseases.

The 2026 budget begins to address a number of problems: increasing doctors' salaries, corneal transplants, hospital infrastructure, etc.

There is a 22% increase in the social fund.

109 billion lek for healthcare is financed by the state budget and the health insurance fund.

The fight against cancer remains the biggest challenge through an additional 15 million euros in funding, from screening to advanced treatment. We are providing every patient with an online file to increase the quality of service.

Albania will have a Cancer Institute.

Through next year's budget, thrombectomy, breast reconstruction, and corneal transplant will be offered for the first time.

320 thousand patients will be treated in central and regional hospitals.

Free check-ups, HPV vaccination for boys for the first time, free flu vaccination for pregnant women, the elderly and children.

The emergency service will be improved with new hospital equipment.

We will have a transparent health contribution scheme.

"Each hospital will have its own autonomy ," Sala said.

The focus of the government budget will also be human resources, and for 2026 there will be a salary increase for 19,000 professionals and work will be done to bring Albanian professionals from abroad.

"No government initiative or program can be successful without doctors and staff; in 2026 we will increase the salaries of 19,000 professionals.

In 2026, we will work on a mechanism to bring Albanian professionals from abroad.

In addition to healthcare, we will consolidate social protection and integration as part of the "Foundations" chapter.

33% is taken up by the social care program. The social care program is 27.7 billion lek.

"The 2026 budget is not a set of numbers but an investment in dignity, modernization, support for professionals, approximation with EU standards ," the minister declared./ CNA