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INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH CONFERENCE IN TIRANA, ALBANIACurrent challenges of the health care system inAlbaniaQamil Dika 1 , Genc Burazeri 2,31Health Insurance Institute, Tirana, Albania;2Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine, Tirana, Albania;3Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania.There have been several efforts to reconstruct theAlbanian health sector along with economic recoveryin the past decade. Thus, a National Strategy forSocioeconomic Development came into force in2002 as the frame for sustainable development.Subsequently, it was changed in 2005 to the NationalStrategy for Development and Integration andaligned with the European Union (EU) agenda andthe Millennium Development Goals.A Long-Term Strategy on the Development of theHealth System was approved and endorsed in 2004and is focused on the core functions of the healthsystem. In the past few years, health legislation isbeing thoroughly revised with focus on the lawsrelated to financing of health services. The HealthInsurance Fund established in 1995 is growingrapidly in terms of service packages provided.However, the Albanian Ministry of Heath recognizesthe need to reorganize health services on a costefficiencybasis.Furthermore, there are several challenges for theAlbanian health care system which should be takeninto consideration: (i) poor health infrastructure andscarce resources caused by several major crises in thepast couple of decades; (ii) fragmented subsidizationof the health needs of the population (funds aredivided between the Ministry of Health, the HealthInsurance Fund and the Ministry of Labor); (iii)outdated, weak and inefficient public health services,which are still unable to meet the challenges of the(double) burden of diseases related to socioeconomic,lifestyle and environmental determinants and risks.Keywords: A lbania, health reform, health system, ministryof health.ALBANIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT55