| Project Detail |
The project development objective (PDO) is to prevent, detect, and respond to the threat posed by,
COVID-19 and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness in Albania. This PDO is aligned
with the COVID-19 SPRP and will be monitored through two PDO-level indicators:
i. Number of designated laboratories with diagnostic equipment, test kits, and reagents, as per
MoHSP guidelines; and
ii. Percentage of COVID-19 cases that are health-care workers.
The PDO will be achieved through activities that support continued containment of COVID-19 in the
short term and that strengthen Albania’s capacity for preventing and responding to public health
emergencies (including further waves of the COVID-19 pandemic) in the medium and longer term.
Albania’s current position on the epidemic curve means that investments based on both short- and longerterm concerns are essential, so that the country will not lose the gains made through its effective
immediate response while it strengthens the health system beyond the current crisis. Therefore, Albania
has requested assistance to provide widespread population testing (including newer serologic testing);
strengthen surveillance and contact tracing; start planning appropriate adjustment of physical distancing
requirements and other preventive measures (carefully differentiated by region, economic sector, age, or
health status); expand capacity for treatment of severe cases, should numbers increase, while maintaining
essential medical care and minimizing risks for patients and health personnel; and enhance
communications with the public and other key stakeholders. These activities, and their intended outputs,
outcomes, and impact, are set out in the theory of change (Figure 4).
D. Project Description
Project Components
Component 1: Supporting the health sector’s COVID-19 response in the immediate and medium term
(EUR 14.5 million, US$16.14 million equivalent). This component will provide immediate support to help
Albania strengthen its capacity to contain local transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Over the short and medium
term, it will support enhancing disease detection capacities through investment in essential public health
functions (around surveillance, early warning systems, case detection, and contact tracing); provision of
health-care equipment and materials; provision of laboratory equipment; strengthening of the capacity to assess and modify requirements for physical distancing; and strengthening of the means to
communicate effectively with the public, consistent with WHO’s guidelines in the SPRP.16 If the number
of new daily cases increases, the component will also enable the country to mobilize surge response
capacity by leveraging trained and well-equipped front-line health workers. |
