The below Guardian newspaper article by Paula Erizanu from 28 January 2021 outlines the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Moldova and the lack of access to vaccines there. Within Europe, Moldova as well as Ukraine are the only two countries in Europe with a lower GDP per capita than Albania. Unlike Moldova, Albania is fortunate to have sufficient funds to have been able to buy some vaccine doses in January as well as receiving an anonymous donation of vaccines. Due to the generous vaccine dose donation Albania received, vaccinating frontline healthcare staff was able to begin on 12 January, but currently still very few doses are available, state funds are limited and the progression of the Albanian vaccination programme is uncertain as support from better-off countries is largely limited to verbal rather than financial or pharmaceutical support. According to the Economist’s Intelligence Unit, countries such as Moldova and Albania will likely only be finishing their vaccinations by the end of 2022 due to lack of resources while the most developed countries vaccination programmes are anticipated to conclude almost a year earlier (see link at bottom of post).
Besides the lack of vaccine doses, Erizanu also addresses the lack of healthcare staff and the anticipated greater lack in years to come as many of those in healthcare will either migrate or retire. Albania and many other Western Balkan countries are similarly experiencing a large-scale emigration movement of healthcare workers to EU countries, I believe most of all to Germany, and many EU countries actively promote and facilitate the immigration of healthcare countries from Albania and other countries. How to change the situation? Erizanu notes that salaries of doctors and others in the public health care sector were recently raised dramatically in Moldova, but I wonder whether these kinds of political actions will have sufficient long-term effects in slowing down emigration. And who can fault those leaving? Paula Erizanu left herself, as a healthcare worker, and I know many who have left Albania not only for economic reasons, but also to seek a better work environment, to flee the feeling of helplessness when facing patients because instruments, tools, resources are lacking to help them as they should be helped. The situation is hard back home in many ways.
I wish Moldova and countries in similar situations that they will receive doses of the vaccine soon, that more fortunate countries will come to their aid, and that they will experience such sorely lacked solidarity not only in this crisis but in the larger and longer crisis that is the lack of structures, money, human resources they need to develop.
The Economist’s Information Unit (2021), Coronavirus vaccine: expect delays. Q1 global forecast 2021. report q1-global-forecast-2021.pdf (eiu.com), accessed on 4 Feb 2021
For English-speaking information on the vaccine programme in Albania see https://www.albaniandailynews.com/search.php?s=vaccine
