On Thursday, the Albanian NGO Together for Life asked the government to administer personal protective equipment (PPE) to family doctors, who, since April 6, are treating people infected with coronavirus who only have light symptoms.
According to a survey from the NGO, these doctors have not been equipped with PPE and some have to purchase their own. Doctors outside Tirana lack even minimal equipment like gloves and masks.
So far, 41 medical staff have been infected with coronavirus in Albania.
On April 6, Albanian Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu announced that infected persons who are displaying light coronavirus symptoms and are quarantined in their homes, would be monitored and treated by 1600 family doctors.
However, the head of Together for Life, Eglantina Bardhi, told BIRN that many doctors are confused as to how this will work. Manastirliu said that doctors would use ‘virtual visits’ to examine these patients but the majority of family doctors have not been informed regarding who the quarantined people they should be treating are.
