Building on its commitment to strengthen Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at the primary healthcare (PHC) level, the SOLIDAR Project “Together in Health Emergencies”, a project by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by GFA Consulting Group GmbH, has launched a comprehensive programme of advanced medical emergency training for doctors and nurses serving in Albania’s 24/7 health centres and municipal hospitals.

Delivered between May and December 2025 at the EMS Academy in Peza e Madhe, Tirana, the programme is implemented in partnership with the Swiss Foundation for Innovation (SFI), an experienced training provider whose Academy meets internationally recognised standards for emergency medical education. The training equips frontline health professionals with advanced, life-saving skills in pre-hospital and community-based emergency care.

The advanced curriculum is organised around two internationally certified courses: Immediate Life Support (ILS) and International Trauma Life Support (ITLS). ILS prepares health professionals to recognise and respond to life-threatening cardiac and respiratory emergencies, including cardiac arrest, severe arrhythmias, and acute deterioration of patients. ITLS focuses on the systematic assessment and management of trauma patients, from major road traffic injuries and falls to penetrating trauma, covering airway, breathing, circulation, neurological assessment, and rapid transport decisions. Both courses culminate in international certification recognised across emergency medicine networks.

SFI’s EMS Academy provides a state-of-the-art learning environment, including high-fidelity simulation equipment, scenario-based teaching, and an experienced instructional team. This infrastructure ensures that participants train under conditions as close as possible to real-life emergencies, building not only technical competence but also the decision-making confidence required when minutes determine patient outcomes.

The launch of these advanced training cycles follows the successful completion of SOLIDAR’s Basic Life Support and First Aid (BLS-FA) programme earlier in 2025, which certified 1,094 doctors and nurses across the project’s target health facilities. By layering ILS and ITLS on top of foundational BLS-FA training, SOLIDAR is building a structured progression of clinical competencies in Albania’s primary healthcare workforce, from basic life support to advanced cardiac and trauma response.

This initiative reflects the Swiss government’s sustained commitment to supporting Albania in building a resilient and responsive emergency care system. Beyond certification, the training is designed to embed a culture of preparedness, rapid decision-making, and life-saving intervention across the country, contributing directly to improved patient outcomes and to SOLIDAR’s broader goal: ensuring that people in Albania, including the most vulnerable, have access to high-quality emergency care when they need it most.