Since March 9, 2020 when the first person infected with covid-19 was diagnosed in Albania, and until now (13.01.2021), 65,334 citizens have been infected and 1,256 lost their lives. There is no exact figure of how many of them have been treated in hospitals, but there are currently 268 patients admitted to four Covid hospitals, of which 29 are in intensive care and four are in intubation.

Since the beginning of the hospitalization of the first cases of Covid in the respective hospitals, the family members raised the concern for the lack of information on the condition, progress, treatment of their relatives from these hospitals. In addition to the lack of official information, the fact that aggravates the psychological situation of family members but also of the hospitalized patients, is the prohibition of patients to keep mobile phones. This behavior by the health authorities violates the patients' rights.

According to the Albanian Charter of Patient Rights, approved by Order No. 657, dt. 15.02.2010 by the Ministry of Health, article 3, Right to information, "every patient has the right to access any kind of information regarding his health condition, health services and how to use them".
In article 4, Right to Consent, it says: “Every patient has the right to access all the information that enables him or her to actively participate in his or her health decisions; This information is a prerequisite for any treatment and procedure”.
Institutions dealing with the treatment of patients infected with covid-19 in Albania, Covid hospital 1 (infectious), then Covid 2 (sanatorium), and finally covid 3 and 4, during the stay of patients for health care in their premises have not taken into account these two rights.

The approval form, which is an integral part of the patient card, requires that in cases where the patient is unable to make decisions about his treatment, it is the caregiver who signs it. But, relatives of the hospitalized patients, have not given approval for the treatment procedures of their family members, from medication to intubation and have no information on the general condition of the patient. Also, it is often difficult for family members to have information about the doctor who treats their relative that and even when they receive this information, they have to suffer until they come in contact with the doctor privately.

Lack of information, not allowing cell phones, has worried family members but also patients, who in addition to complications from the virus, which often gives mental confusion, are also stressed by the lack of communication with their relatives. Consequently, the suspicion arises that this situation may be one of the reasons that some patients, four in total, have decided to end their lives by being thrown out of covid hospital facilities.

On the other hand, the lack of official information and communication on the health status of patients has paved the way for abuses by health personnel of various levels. We bring to your attention the scandal made public recently by the investigative show STOP, where a sanitary worker declared the nurse status and took 800,000 ALL tip from a patient's daughter. We believe that this phenomenon would not have happened if there had been a formal communication between the hospital health authorities and the patient's relatives.

The experience of neighboring countries, like Italy, but also Turkey, is that every day patients' families are given official information by the doctor about the condition of patients. In addition to official information, a family member of the patient is allowed to make a physical visit to his room, of course wearing personal protective equipment, in order to calm the patient even psychologically.
In Albania, too, the good experience of other countries should be followed in terms of informing patients' families, as well as conducting a visit to the ward.
Informing patients' relatives can be done in a variety of ways, from the simplest and without financial cost, to the use of information technology.

Below we list some proposals:
A- Measures without financial costs
1. Establish an information office at the entrance of each Covid hospital.
2. Every day the list of patients according to the wards, rooms, the attending physician and the ward chief should be published at this office.
3. Set a fixed daily information schedule for family members by the patient's attending physician.
4. Make public the health personnel working in the respective hospital, as well as their function in order to avoid corruption and fraud.

B- Use of technology
1. Putting in place a green phone number for each Covid hospital, where family members can at any time ask about their relatives
2. Informing the family members by phone about the health condition of the patients by the hospital staff.
3. Establishment of an information system, where a code is given for each patient, and family members can enter the system with this code and find any information they need.

(Source: Togetherforlife)