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| Albanian Medical Federation for Europe poster |
In a long statement to the media, the President of the Federation of Albanian Doctors in Europe (FMSHE), Aurora Dollenberg, together with the newly elected international board in the EU, tells more details about their careers.
Ms. Dollenberg how did 2022 start for the federation?
Dr. Aurora Dollenberg: We are glad that at the beginning of this year we can look with great pride on the 2 challenging pandemic years, where the federation of Albanian doctors in Europe has been one of the main pillars for the good management of COVID-19. Our voluntary assistance and expertise continue to be irreplaceable support for raising the home country's medicine to European levels.
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| Dr. Aurora Dollenberg |
The year 2022 began for the federation with the establishment of the international board with the main purpose of representing doctors in international health institutions and coordinating the work of the national branches of the federation, located in 47 countries in Europe.
The International Board aims to achieve the following goals:
Lobbying for the entry of Albania-Kosovo-Macedonia into the European Union
Provision again for 2022 of vaccines, new anti-covid drugs but also assistance with medical equipment for Albanian-speaking countries.
As in the past year, the free provision of advice as an expert in the field and the sensitization of Albanian patients on the effects of the latest vaccines and therapies.
I have the honor and pleasure today to congratulate the members of the international board who voluntarily expressed their readiness to take on this very demanding task with high responsibility for running all branches of the federation throughout Europe. Each of the board members was selected based on their identification with our humanitarian mission, based on their voluntary contribution so far, and the special skills that each of these excellent experts has in the respective fields.
The following colleagues, already well known to the Albanian public, were elected to the international board:
1-Director: Dr. Gamend Berisha-Norway
2-Co-Director: Ms. Ornela Ademi-Netherlands
3-Research Officer: Dr. Fatjona Lubonja-USA
4-Public-Relation Officer: Dr. Rubena Maçi-Italy
5-DigiHealth / Medical Devices Officer: Ms. Bernarda Radoncic-Denmark
Doctor Berisha, while congratulating you on your election as the director of the federation, we want to know how you see the prognosis of the pandemic?
Dr. Gazmend Berisha: Mr. Nefail and the newspaper Le Canton27.ch, thank you for the congratulations for accepting the position of Director of the International Board at FMSHE. This is a special and very valuable task where I will work every day for the good and for the development of Albanian-speaking medicine in the Albanian lands and for our voluntary contribution to be effective, especially for the benefit of any Albanian patient wherever he or shi is.
FMSHE has had collaborations, which we still have today, and we will continue to have them with the Albanian governments in Prishtina and Tirana. We have been welcomed to some extent for cooperation and to give our contribution to the well-being of Albanian medicine, to bring the level closer to the medical quality of the EU and the Scandinavian countries. Completely voluntarily from to as FMSHE. Some of our contributions during the pandemic as an organization and I as part of FMSHE and as a medical professional are:
- Donation of vaccines from the EU to Albania
- Donation of vaccines from Norway to Kosovo
- EU donated medical equipment for the Balkan countries, especially the Albanian-speaking countries
- Many digital webinars on treatment, management, and vaccination against Covid-19
- Webinar in collaboration with ARC (Albanian Resuscitation Council) and Director Dr. Drilon Kamishi for resuscitation and stabilization of infants in case of cardiac arrest, during and after birth
- Webinar in collaboration with Edar-Medical International and Director Dr. Hasan Simnica and the Director Dr. Sanije Sekiraqa for resuscitation in adults with Covid-19 and for resuscitation and stabilization of children in case of cardiac arrest but also management, treatment, and stabilization of children in critical condition with Covid-19
- Summer 2021 available and part of the team of Edar-Medical International I have made my contribution in the treatment of infants in very critical condition and in adults with and without Covid-19, for transportation for treatment abroad Albania and Kosovo due to lack of opportunities for appropriate treatment in the two Albanian-speaking countries. The team of Edar-Medical International has treated and transported Albanian patients with different nationalities outside the Albanian-speaking countries during the whole time of the pandemic and before it for the benefit of Albanian patients.
Definitely not missing on the Federation Board also a Lady and academic from Nederland. This is Mrs. Ornela Ademi elected as Co-Director of the board. From you we would like to learn how the federation's cooperative relations with national and international institutions with the EU are?
Mrs. Ornela Ademi: The relations of the federation's cooperation with international and Albanian associations inside and outside the home countries are very good. This is noticed in the conferences organized over the years where we have had a close and good cooperation for the realization of projects which have come to the aid of our compatriots in Europe.
During our conference in June 2021 in Brussels, in addition to the Albanian representatives in Belgium, we had the pleasure to meet representatives of the European Commission engaged in EU enlargement policies. It was a very useful meeting where we exchanged interesting ideas which will help the organization to continue its work and vision to help Albanian-speaking countries.
Mrs. Lubonja congratulations on your position as responsible for research in the work of the federation. Which variant of coronavirus is in your opinion the most dangerous?
Dr. Fatjona Lubonja: Thank you for the congratulations and the invitation for this interview. Referring to your question based on the date collected by the CDC (USA) or Johns Hopkins University I think the first variant of Covid-19 was more dangerous. But I can give an opinion based on the studies of analytical science ABA, that for every trigger (antecedent) there is a behavior and based on this formula or relation even the behavior of the human body with the virus may have undergone a change. Like everything in nature, it undergoes changes in both behavior and form, it is modified, and the human body is more "alert" and prepared. So, the subsequent variants may no longer have a "surprise" effect on the human body, as they face a level of counter-attack or protection from our sensitized immune system.
I am happy that you, Doctor Maçi, have been assigned the task of International Spokeswoman of the federation, as it would be very informative to know how affected the Albanian community in Europe is?
Dr. Rubena Maçi: It is a special honor and privilege for me to the selected role and I thank you for the congratulations. As we know we are at the peak of the 4th wave in Europe and the numbers are significant with about 7 million new cases of contamination by SarsCov2 in the last week alone across Europe.
At the same time, the figures are alarming in the Albanian-speaking territories where the total number of new cases exceeds 600 thousand new cases of infection and over 13 thousand deaths with an increasing tendency in the Republic of Macedonia. We know that the dominant variant is Omikron, although we can not ignore the previous Delta variant that still continues to circulate even though the clinical features as we know it are different, with the last variant less fatal in terms of pulmonary health consequences, but with greater spread hazard. Regarding the numbers of those affected or victims of Covid 19 disease among our compatriots in Europe, it is difficult to know exactly the fact that the Albanian community in all European countries is highly integrated with the local community and no statistics are available at the moment based on birthplace.
But I would like to see in another prism the question: How much differentiation has the pandemic brought in the treatment and access to the health system of the country where the Albanian emigrant lives. This has played a key role in the intensity of infected identities in immigrants. Albanians are tested much more often than European citizens so that the disease is recognized at the first symptoms and its progression is not allowed with a high risk of hospitalization and without further complications. This protection measure has prevented the spread of infection through emigrants who have traveled to or from Albanian-speaking countries.
In the role of responsible for digital medicine and medical equipment is Mrs. Radoncic of Copenhagen. The Federation has continuously supported the home countries with free online medical consultations, therefore we wish that through you the process of helping the Albanian patient to increase even more. Ms. Radoncic: How safe is the vaccine?
Ms. Bernarda Radoncic: First of all, thank you for this interview. I wish all Albanians a happy and healthy year. It is indisputable an honor and a pleasure to be part of the Federation together with extraordinary professionals, who work to be at the service of the Albanian patient and more than that. Many countries around the world are facing rumors and conspiracy theories about the vaccine, especially on social media, so our countries are not immune to this phenomenon. This is emphasized when there is a psychological and political motivation. I think those responsible for social media play a very important role in preventing the spread of rumors and conspiracy theories because the large number of conspiracy theories circulating does not help to reduce Covid-19, but affects negatively as an example the delay in accepting the vaccine. However, authorities such as governments and national and international institutions have the primary responsibility to stop gossip proactively and rigorously. Science should prevail in all information platforms with facts, and we as doctors have the duty to tell Albanians about the consequences of not being vaccinated. One should not believe in these kinds of nonsensical conspiracy theories, especially in our countries where health institutions are unfortunately fragile, which will result in mass hospitalization and an increase in deaths. My appeal will be not to hesitate about the vaccine, caring for each other which at the end of the day will save lives, is much more important, and previous pandemics should teach us about the consequences for humanity and what will happen if we do not are vaccinated.
A message for this new year addressed to the entire panel of the Federation Board.
Dr. Gazmend Berisha:
As a person and professional of medicine and science, I am always positive and optimistic for the good and for better times. I believe that with the development of new vaccines with longer effects than the current vaccines, with the maintenance of disinfectant options, I believe that the pandemic will be "stabilized" even more where daily life comes to normalize. The hope is for the final achievement of the pandemic from the summer months of 2022. Thank you for the interview and I wish you all the best during the year and onwards.
Mrs. Ornela Ademi:
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| Ornela Ademi on her daily work |
We wish and hope that this year will be a healthy and auspicious year for all and that we will soon get out of this pandemic and it would definitely be a pleasure to conduct interviews on topics more enjoyable than the pandemic.
Dr. Fatjona Lubonja:
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| Dr. Fatjona Lubonja |
Dr. Rubena Maçi:
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| Rubena Maçi |
We have gone through an extraordinary global challenge where the losses in human terms have been unimaginable and the psychophysical consequences it has left behind are still present. Although in addition to the defeats of human lives we managed to find a solution in record time such as vaccination to see the light on the other side of the tunnel. And as long as we have the light of science, knowledge, and awareness, the arguments will be similar to what makes the world move forward: the desire to improve and evolve.
Mrs. Bernarda Radoncic:
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| Bernarda Randoncic |
Although we have faced many uncertainties and various challenges, humanity has shown that we have managed to find the weapon against the virus which is the vaccine, but still, the hope and desire to take care of each other weighs heavily. Definitely this human power together with our new experiences derived from Covid-19, make us even more powerful and for this reason, we must be optimistic to return to normalcy in these years.
Dr. Aurora Dollenberg:
This pandemic was really a challenge for us as white shirts and for all humanity, but at the same time a chance to increase solidarity, humanity, and the spirit of work as a team, ie Teamwork.
Through the federation, for the first time in the history of Albanian medicine, was created the possibility of networking Albanian doctors and leaders from all over Europe. We have embarked together with the Albanian patient and our home countries on a very hopeful journey, which as a final has not only in EU membership but also in the increase of our extraordinary pride and identity as Albanians.
This year will surely be more positive and we as a federation will actively assist in achieving the final end of the pandemic as soon as possible. Health and prosperity for all Albanians wherever they are.