World Bank loans Albania US$15.4 million

World Bank loans Albania US$15.4 million

The World Bank has lent Albania US$15.4 million ( Ђ 12.8 million) to help improve health care in rural areas, its Tirana office said Thursday.

It said the loan aimed to help the government improve both "physical and financial access to health services," because "the quality of health care in Albania is low compared with other countries in Southeast Europe."

The bank has urged Albania to better manage such funds to maximize results from US$196 million ( Ђ 163 million) in loans it is expected to give Albania over the next three years. They are designed to help fight poverty and unemployment in one of Europe's poorest countries.

The World Bank has been one of Albania's main financial supporters since the collapse of communism in 1991, reports the AP.

I.L.