Behind every protocol is a patient, someone whose life may depend on the calm, confident response of the doctor or nurse in front of them. By making that response more consistent across Albania’s primary healthcare network, these guidelines move SOLIDAR closer to its goal of quality emergency care for everyone, including the most vulnerable. 

The Working Group for Quality Emergency Care in Primary Healthcare has finalised new clinical guidelines and protocols for the management of chest pain and anaphylactic shock, as part of 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. The guidelines aim to support more standardised, practical, and consistent emergency care across Albania’s primary healthcare (PHC) network. The final versions of the guidelines have been formally approved and form part of the national reference framework for emergency care delivery at PHC level. 

The Working Group brought together representatives from key national health institutions, including the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW), the Health Care Service Operator (Operatori i Shërbimeve të Kujdesit Shëndetësor), the Agency for Quality Assurance in Health and Social Care (ASCK), the National Medical Emergency Center (QKUM), and the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), together with medical emergency specialists providing technical support to the process.  

Looking ahead, the Working Group highlighted the need to develop additional clinical guidelines for further high-priority emergency conditions, including loss of consciousness in adults and seizures in children. To ensure effective uptake, dedicated training sessions for doctors and nurses in 24/7 health centres will accompany the rollout of each approved guideline, building directly on the Basic Life Support and First Aid (BLS–FA) and advanced ILS / ITLS training already delivered under SOLIDAR. 

The guidelines mark an important step toward safer, more consistent emergency at Albania’s primary healthcare level. They contribute directly to SOLIDAR’s goal: quality emergency health care for everyone in Albania, including the most vulnerable.