TIRANA, Feb. 26 – Medical personnel have staged protests at public hospitals across the country over proposed government measures that include tests to see the level of care doctors and nurses are able to provide.
Doctors in Tirana had earlier gone on limited strike. They say the government proposal is an insult to their profession.
The protesters have called for the resignation of Healthcare Minister Ilir Beqja, who has insisted the testing must take place, despite opposition with among lawmakers from the government’s own ranks.
The Health Ministry has said it wants to start the exams for the nurses as soon as possible to understand the weak points in the healthcare system, one of the most criticized public services in the country. Doctor tests would take place a bit later.
The ministry has said it does not aim at rebuke or fire medical staff, which many fear.
A Tirana court ruling this week forced the government to abandon its plans to start testing nurses immediately. The ministry said it would appeal.
The test will cover almost all the medical personnel, some 5,000 doctors, and thousands of nurses, according to the ministry.
