As Albania’s 10-year hemodialysis concession approaches its end, the management of public money in the health sector appears to be following a familiar path.
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| Businessman Klodian Allajbeu, whose previous networks connect to the newly awarded €49.4 million hemodialysis framework agreement won by Diaverum AB. |
The four-year framework agreement was awarded to Diaverum AB, the only company to submit a bid.
The tender had a maximum fund of 4.59 billion lek. Diaverum’s winning offer was 4,440,664,800 lek before VAT—around 97% of the state’s available ceiling.
Although the contracting model has changed from a public-private partnership (PPP) to a standard public-service tender, the company awarded the contract is closely connected to the previous concession.
Diaverum International AB owns 100% of DiaVita sh.p.k., the company that implemented the 2016 hemodialysis concession. DiaVita was initially established through the merger of Evita, which held 85%, and Spitali Amerikan, with a 15% stake. Spitali Amerikan was controlled by businessman Klodian Allajbeu.
In 2019, the Diaverum group acquired all of DiaVita’s shares.
The procedure has also raised questions over the unusually short bidding period. OSHIS opened the tender on August 17 and gave companies only until September 1 to submit their offers—a 15-day deadline. The authority justified the shortened timeframe by citing the need to guarantee continuity of hemodialysis services for patients.
However, critics may question whether such a compressed timetable left sufficient opportunity for other potential bidders to prepare and participate, particularly in a contract worth nearly €50 million.
There are also questions surrounding changes at OSHIS itself.
The state institution was established in December 2025 to take over services following the expiration of concessions. In January 2026, Arisa Cane was appointed to lead the institution. Cane had previously worked as an embryologist at Spitali Amerikan.
Reports now indicate that Cane left her position on September 11, just one day after Diaverum was announced as the winner of the major hemodialysis tender.
The lack of effective competition in a procurement of this financial scale, combined with the return of a company connected to the previous concession structure, is likely to fuel further debate over transparency, competition and the management of public funds in Albania’s healthcare system.