Mario Karaj, General Manager of American Hospital reveals the vision for the future: the bad media practice…blackmails!

American Hospital is a reality of Albanian private health sector and for more than a decade has made a continuously progress, bringing a new image to hospitals and comfort for patients who already found their life cure within their home country. A big investment that has served for the whole country’s development through a well-organized structure and a forward-looking strategy, which seems to be more than successful. For more than 9 years at the head of this institution is Mario Karaj, graduated in the United States of America who returned in Albania, for this interesting new challenge. In this detailed interview, Mr. Karaj talks about the moment when he chose to embrace this ambiguous project, the difficulties he faced, the achievements and the vision on the future of American Hospital, Albania.

Interview with Mr. Mario Karaj, General Manager, American Hospital, Albania

You returned from USA and choose to work in American Hospital. What made you took this decision, which were the challenges and could you give us a general overview of American Hospital?

Yes, it is true, I returned from USA in 2010.
After a 10-year period in America, where I studied for Business Management and gained various work experiences, I choose to be part of American Hospital management team. I decided to come back because the American Project to develop medical service in Albania was very challenging and interesting to me. American Hospital is an investment of the American Investment Fund, in partnership with the US Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Pension Fund in Denmark. From the beginnings till now, it should be mentioned that the investment as a whole has been colossal and has served for the Albanian patients as well as for the development of the country in general.

What are some of advantages that American Hospital has brought for patients?

One of the main advantages of setting up such a big structure is that Albanian patients with difficult and specific diagnoses no longer need to travel outside of the country, where, in addition of high costs, they also face with many other issues, starting from difficulties of communication with foreign doctors, long journeys and post-operative follow-up difficulties, requiring frequent re-examination. In other words, being a foreigner is difficult, imagine being a foreign patient how exhausting it might be. American Hospital has brought to Albania not only the latest medical technology and equipment, but also the most professional doctors that every medical institution in the world would like to have.

The Dialysis Center opened in American Hospital in 2008, at that time in Albania the number of dialysis patients were less than 40 people in the whole country. These patients received this service, precious for their lives, with some basic equipment’s that were residues of the Kosovo war. The rest were destined to die or emigrate abroad to receive the dialysis service.

Today, thanks to this project and government’s support, over 1200 patients, all around Albania are treated, improving their quality of life and increasing longevity. There are over 1200 lives saved.

I also want to take this opportunity to state that in relation to public-private partnership of laboratories, which will be a great innovation for Albanian health, neither the American Hospital nor Mr. Klodian Allajbeu personally has not had and has nothing to do with this project, nor with the union operator that has won this partnership both inside and outside Albania. Any other allusion is simply a lie.

American Hospital’s Progress in more than a decade is evident, but what would you consider as a problem…?
On the dark side of the medal, I would like to mention one of the things that is shocking as a fact and that is a major issue in business development in Albania: the fact that the American Hospital has been facing and continues to face steadily pressure and blackmail, from different media. The intentional attack on business is turning into an operative mode from some unprofessional media outlets. I would like to take the opportunity and ask them to not lose their credibility and professionalism and to have the integrity of freedom of speech.

In addition, are you satisfied with what you have achieved?

Our response to these phenomena is the devotion in our work and the constant increase of patient satisfaction. This has led American Hospital to have a large demand from patients being “forced” in good sense of the word, to be constantly expanded.

What are your plans for the future?

For many years, American Hospital has been focused on serving local patients. Records and success stories of American Hospital have exceeded Albania’s borders, making foreign patients more and more trust us. For about five years now, the American Hospital welcomes foreign patients who choose to be treated in Albania, thus turning medical tourism into a hotspot of economy development for the upcoming years. With the expansion of the hospital network throughout Albania, the capacity and technology have advanced and the management staff now aims at attracting medical travelers “Health Tourism” as a priority for the next five years.