Public complaints about the lack of laboratory tests for patients at the “Sadik Dinçi” Psychiatric Hospital in Elbasan have brought attention back to the way medical examinations are provided for people hospitalized in this institution.
After statements that patients had not received laboratory services for almost three years, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare told Faktoje that the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital cooperates with the Elbasan Regional Hospital for laboratory examinations, specialized consultations and other diagnostic services necessary for hospitalized patients.
In its official response, the ministry also announced that an investment is being made at the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital that also includes the creation of an internal laboratory. Until the completion of this investment and the full functioning of the laboratory, according to the Ministry of Health, the laboratory and diagnostic needs of patients will continue to be covered through cooperation with the Elbasan Regional Hospital.
The issue was raised publicly on April 11, 2026, when civil society representative Gentjan Sejrani stated that “for almost three years, around 300 patients”, chronically hospitalized at the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital, had not received testing services when they had illnesses or other health problems.
According to Sejran, the majority of these patients are people with chronic mental health illnesses, while many of them are abandoned by their families.
He presented the lack of tests as a lack of basic care for a category of patients who need constant attention.
On the same date, the director of the “Sadik Dinçi” Psychiatric Hospital in Elbasan, Zenun Bullari, stated that currently patients are admitted to the hospital after coming accompanied by biochemical tests. According to him, only in urgent cases are the tests performed at the Elbasan Regional Hospital, as this service is missing at the Psychiatric Hospital.
The complaint was repeated on April 26, 2026. Sejrani said that he had received the information about the lack of tests from employees of the “Sadik Dinçi” Psychiatric Hospital in Elbasan, who, according to him, did not have the courage to make it public. He stated that the medical staff had contacted him and told him that, in some cases, the employees had paid for patients to have tests performed in private laboratories.
“If the Ministry of Health issues me a signed contract between it and the ‘Sadik Dinçi’ Psychiatric Hospital in Elbasan to provide tests for these patients, I bear responsibility,” said Sejrani .
The issue was also mentioned on April 19, 2026, during a meeting of the Freedom Party, where MPs and members of the parliamentary group of this political force spoke. At the meeting, doctor Gentian Çala stated that the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital had been left out of the laboratory concession.
“The largest psychiatric hospital in the country was not performing tests because it was excluded from the laboratory concession,” said Çala. He added that this situation had also put doctors in difficulty, as according to him they were unable to perform tests on patients.
Çala also brought up an example from his own experience, saying that when he sent patients from Pogradec to Elbasan, he sent them with tests performed in advance. According to him, this was done because colleagues at the hospital “felt sorry” to ask patients to have their tests done privately.
Speaking to Faktoje, psychiatrist Neli Demi placed this issue in the broader context of the functioning of mental health services in the country. He said that psychiatric hospitals should serve to stabilize patients in crisis and not as long-term residences for people with chronic mental health problems.
Demi emphasized that, against the backdrop of mental illnesses, organic health problems can often go unnoticed and unexamined. Referring to recent news on social media about the lack of a contract between the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital and laboratories for three years, he said that, if this holds true, it would constitute a serious administrative and institutional problem.
“The latest news on social networks speaks of a lack of contract between the Elbasan hospital and the laboratories for three years, so these individuals who are hospitalized in the Elbasan hospital do not receive laboratory services. In my opinion, this is a scandal that is not only administrative,” Demi told Faktoje.
Faktoje addressed the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to obtain an official clarification on how laboratory tests are provided for patients admitted to the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital.
In response, the ministry said that issues related to the internal organization of services, the functioning of relevant structures, and specific operational data are administered by the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital itself and can be addressed directly to this institution.
However, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs clarified (after Faktoje appealed the request) that the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital cooperates with the Elbasan Regional Hospital to provide laboratory examinations, specialized consultations and other necessary diagnostic services for hospitalized patients.
“The Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital collaborates with the Elbasan Regional Hospital to provide laboratory examinations, specialized consultations and other necessary diagnostic services for hospitalized patients, guaranteeing the continuity and quality of healthcare,” the ministry’s response to Faktoje states.
The Ministry added that, within the framework of policies to strengthen the capacities of health institutions, an investment is currently being made in the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital, which also foresees the creation of an internal laboratory.
“Until the completion of this investment and the full functioning of the laboratory, the laboratory and diagnostic needs of patients will continue to be covered through cooperation with the Elbasan Regional Hospital, in accordance with the procedures and clinical needs of the institution,” the MHSMS response further states.
The investment in the new Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital was announced in August 2024 by the then Minister of Health, Albana Koçiu. She described the project as “a new structure that is not only modern, but also functional according to contemporary hospital management concepts.”
According to the announcement, the building would be 3,270 square meters and would accommodate 70-80 patients, with 26 rooms, 2 canteens and 2 recreation rooms.
“We remain committed to investing in the health, well-being and dignity of citizens. Mental health is a critical priority for society as a whole,” the minister declared.
The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports responded to Faktoje that the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital does not yet have a fully functional internal laboratory. The ministry says that laboratory tests and other diagnostic services for hospitalized patients are covered through cooperation with the Elbasan Regional Hospital, while the internal laboratory is expected to be put into operation after the investment is completed.
The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs did not directly answer the question of whether the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital was left out of the laboratory concession and how the patient tests were performed during the period alleged in the public complaints.
The ministry did not provide data on how many laboratory tests were reported as performed during the last year for this hospital and did not specify what types of tests are performed within the institution. For operational data, the ministry referred the Fact to the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital itself.
/Jona Cenameri, Faktoje.al