TIRANE,  AUGUST 20, 2013      Today the “Queen Geraldine” Maternity Hospital in collaboration with USAID’s Enabling Equitable Health Reforms Project, inaugurated an integrated package of interventions that the project has introduced in the Hospital.

• A totally refurbished visitor reception area is more welcoming, organized and informative.
• The newly introduced visitor control hardware and software system will help manage the visitor traffic, improving infection control, and meet the patients’ needs for privacy.
• All hospital staff members will now wear ID badges with their names and titles, making staff more accessible and more accountable to patients.
• Computers and printers have been provided and strategically placed within hospital wards to allow hospital staff to enter, retrieve and print patient information.
• More time will be spent with patients instead of paper work, thanks to the new connection between the ultrasound machine and the hospital information system.

Taking a holistic approach, the USAID-funded package of interventions redefines the patient and visitor interaction with the Queen Geraldine Maternity Hospital, improving patient and staff satisfaction and allowing more time for doctors to care for patients.

USAID’s health governance project, now in its third year, is providing the Ministry of Health and three pilot public hospitals with technical assistance in support of evolving health care system reforms in Albania.