The Minister of Health and Social Protection, Ogerta Manastirliu, started Thursday’s speech in the parliament with the good news: “Albania, according to “The Lancet”, one of the most prestigious academic journals, has been evaluated with 70 points out of 100 possible. Comparing the health system and precisely the universal health coverage in Albania with a much better result as compared to previous years. This is due to the simple fact of the investments made by the Albanian government, in terms of the efficiency of the treatment of diseases,” said the Minister.
All of these are important assessments that we get not from studies done by uncertified organizations, not from graphics made with the wrong math, but from prestigious journals in which more than 5 thousand academic collaborators work, with methodologies of unified and accurate data sources. And these are the facts, the proud minister continues with the assessment made on Albania regarding the fight against Covid-19.
Furthermore, the Minister presents and emphasizes once again the strategy used from the beginning, which includes the increase of medical staff, the increase of employees. According to her, 150 employees are included in the health system to support the current staff and to prepare the staff to serve in the structures that will be open, COVID3 and COVID4.
But while on the one hand the successful strategy of the government is presented, accompanied by the international assessment in the face of Covid-19, in the end Minister Manastirliu made a shocking prediction.
“If covid hospitals in Albania are overloaded, we will face the choice of who will be treated first. We will have to select as it has happened in big countries,” said Ms. Manastirliu.
A forecast that, first of all, refutes everything that the Minister mentioned above regarding the measures that are being taken in order to curb the spread of COVID 19.
Secondly, the Minister inadvertently confirms those rumors, allusions, accusations, claims that some patients have not been treated by doctors and have lost their lives. Is she able to testify and can we take for granted this irresponsible statement of the minister?
Which country in Europe and the world has stated that they have made selective choices about who of the sick should be treated?
Let us remember that beyond the hospital capacities, hundreds of improvised hospitals have been opened in schools, football fields or hospitals have been built so that exactly no one lacks treatment despite all the difficulties.
Thirdly and most importantly, given that in this time of pandemic we are all “eyes and ears” towards the government, this statement of the Minister of Health shocks us.
It should be understood that this pandemic has affected every area of life and every social stratum. Not to mention the economic side, let’s focus only on the social-health aspect.
Of course, we see every day figures provided by the Institute of Public Health and Ministry of Health which refer to victims, hospitalized persons, healed people who are directly affected by Covid-19, but in the meantime we forget those who are indirectly affected by Covid-19 about whom no one talks and let alone even care for them.
There are hundreds of people suffering from stress and anxiety created precisely by this pandemic situation. Some others suffer from heart diseases and others from depression, the latter often becoming deadly due to the great psychological burden because of this pandemic.
In addition to refuting the advertisement of the work done by the government for the management of the pandemic the above mentioned statement is inappropriate and not at all helpful to all those people who expect a little hope from all of you.
It can even harm psychologically all those who are more sensitive being unable to cope and unfortunately no one is taking care of them.
Therefore, Madam Minister, enough with ominous predictions as we all need care and hope but not fear. Apparently, you have forgotten the motto that you and the whole government trumpeted everywhere until yesterday: ”Fear NO, Caution YES! /m.d
/argumentum.al
