Wondering how to express common symptoms? We have everything you need to know about Albanian health vocabulary. Although we hope your trip to Tirana is one where you don’t need to see a doctor, or worse, go to a hospital, it’s good to be on the safe side and have those Albanian words locked and loaded in case of an emergency. As a taster, we’ll give you the two most basic words. Doctor in Albanian is ‘mjek’. Disease is ‘Sëmundje.’ Let’s learn more about this in today’s post!
Albanian Health Vocabulary
English | Albanian |
Ache | Dhimbje |
Allergy | Alergji |
Ambulance | Ambulancë |
Amnesia | Amnezi |
Antibiotics | Antibiotikët |
Bacteria | Bakteret |
Blood | Gjaku |
Bruise | Mavijosje |
Cancer | Kanceri |
Deaf | Të shurdhër |
Diagnosis | Diagnoza |
Disease | Sëmundje |
Emergency | Emergjente |
Fever | Ethe |
Flu | Gripi |
Illness | Sëmundje |
Itchy | Kruarje |
Numb | I mpirë |
Pain | Dhimbje |
Pharmacist | Farmacist |
Poison | Helm |
Side Effects | Efektet anësore |
Swelling | ënjtje |
Symptoms | Simptomat |
Temperature | Temperatura |
Therapy | Terapi |
Vein | Vena |
Albanian Healthcare Overview
Because Albania is a former communist country, it still has universal healthcare. Recent data from 2013 shows that health care spending was 5.9% of GDP.
As bad as communist rule was in the country, and many services didn’t function properly, healthcare was not a major problem. The chaos of communist collapse caused health care outcomes to plummet until around 2000, when Albania’s capitalist reforms began to take hold.
According to official sources, although Albania had the lowest proportion of doctors per 100,000- 115, its healthcare system doesn’t rank too badly. It came to 57 out of 100 listed countries for health outcomes.
Albanian Healthcare Under The Communist Regime
As already noted, there were mixed outcomes for Albanians under Enver Hoxha’s regime. Many doctors were trained in the Soviet Union, which could provide the country with technical assistance.
An interesting metric tool to measure the success of a country’s health apparatus is to think about nutrition. There’s no denying that Albanians are taller now than they’ve ever been in the past. History has provided us with an interesting sociological case to test this hypothesis. The Korean Peninsula was split in the early 1950s between the communist North and the capitalist South. Both groups are ethnically identical. Now South Korean men are 5 inches taller than North Koreans, directly relatable to nutrition.
In Albania, as in North Korea, there were incentives for women to have children, including the promise of a cow for new mothers and the official title ‘heroic mother.’ Different family members had to embody different ideas. As noted, the heroic mother, but also the hardworking father and loyal children. The art from this time period is particularly illustrative of this phenomenon.
Modern Albanian Healthcare
The World Health Organisation has praised the country for improving its healthcare. One notable example is the 2013-2022 plan for mental health. The directives of that plan have meant that nine mental health centers and 13 supported homes have been built.
A common theme in Europe and America since the 1980s has been to empty psychiatric wards and get the patients back into the world. It is a controversial policy, and Albania has followed along. As mentioned in previous articles, Albania also has many NGOs that campaign against human trafficking, violence against women, and sexual abuse.
In terms of medical interventions, the government is investing heavily in personal medical devices and new technology. In 2018 public healthcare spending was at $450 million. And that is expected to keep soaring in the future, even in the face of Coronavirus.
The WHO inspected Albanian healthcare facilities in 2018, and they noted that although the facilities were old, they were well maintained. Another positive step was that the Ministry of Health developed a medical check-up for people between 40-65.
Albania And Coronavirus
Albania followed the same pattern as Europe when it first became obvious that the Coronavirus was a major global threat. Edi Rama, the prime minister, ordered a lockdown on March 10th, 2020. He went even further than many leaders by announcing a ban on vehicles. The only vehicles allowed on the roads were emergency and vital services. A nice touch was a bonus to medical workers of 500 euros. The fine for anyone who broke the lockdown was 5000 euros. On April 25th, measures were relaxed.
As of January 2022, Albania had had 233,000 cases with 3200 deaths. This is better than all countries in the western Balkans. As of 2022, flights between the UK and Albanian resumed without quarantine or self-isolation.
Just as severe as the health costs were the economic costs, although it matched many of its neighbors in poor performance. Albania also had to deal with the aftermath of the 2019 earthquake.
71% of businesses in Albania reported a drop in demand, sending sales down by 52%. This led to businesses reducing their workforce by 11% on average.
Learn Albanian With Ling
Have you heard about Ling? It is the best online app to learn Albanian. It does the same thing as Duolingo and Babbel but for lesser-spoken languages.
Ling has reading, writing, speaking, and listening practice. Plus, a grammar guide and pronunciation guide to help you with the more nuanced aspects of Albanian. Our courses start you off with basic Albanian vocabulary and build up over time until you’re talking about space travel!
Forget your old Albanian dictionary and Albanian phrasebook; learning Albanian is just a click away on your mobile device. Also, our leaderboard allows you to compare yourself with other users, so you never lose motivation.
Want to get a quick fix to your language learning needs in this language? Fortunately, this blog section is updated weekly. Sometimes we keep it light with blogs like Albanian vocabulary for family and friends, and sometimes they’re more intense, as the Albanian government. So, what are you waiting for? Learn more by reading our posts and downloading the Ling App by Simya Solutions.