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In the poorest country in Europe, we don’t have a vaccine to argue with | Paula Erizanu


“I I am very happy to work on the front lines and see that Canada’s healthcare system is functioning well,” Alecu Mătrăgună wrote in a Facebook post, “but I regret that I was vaccinated before my mother, who works in the Canadian healthcare system. Moldova. “Mătrăgună is a Moldovan sonographer living in Montreal. His mother is 61 years old and a pediatrician with more than 30 years of experience. However, he told me that she did not know when she could help her and more than 53,300 in the poorest countries in Europe. Other medical staff are vaccinated against Covid-19.

Back in early December, when I saw a sign in the local pharmacy in London announcing that the vaccine was on the market, I had a similar reaction to Mătrăgună about my family in Moldova. At the time, my grandmother had just recovered and my father was still fighting the effects of the virus.

Most Western European governments have Frontline staff vaccinated And is entering the second phase of launch, even though Production problem Supply is now being destroyed. Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. Since it cannot afford vaccines, it has not yet been able to provide a vaccination.

The Moldovan government does not expect to receive the first batch of vaccines before the end of February. Even this timetable is uncertain and full of bureaucratic delays. Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia are also in a similar predicament. This is”Catastrophic moral failureIn the words of World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the problem of vaccine distribution is like in Europe.

The most economically disadvantaged countries in Europe are relying on Kovacs, A facility for low-income countries led by the World Health Organization in response to the pandemic. The organization will guarantee free injections for 20% of a country’s population. As for the remaining doses they need, these countries are seeking help from their wealthy neighbors. This is hardly a solution to a global pandemic. In an interconnected world, no country is safe unless every country is safe.

I have been in Chișinău’s home since December, and news of the deaths of family, friends, former colleagues, or celebrities related to Covid-19 have been happening every day.In fact, Moldova’s overall mortality rate Up 21% From May to December 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.

The healthcare system is overwhelmed. A man in his 60s contracted the virus and had to wait three hours for a free bed in the cold hospital yard. Last spring, video Patients in smaller provincial hospitals Shows shocking conditions, such as lack of heating or clean water. In a hospital, a man died in the toilet, and the staff lacking protective equipment dared not approach him for several hours. In the end, they asked other Covid-19 patients to take out their bodies and cover them with blankets.

An election official with a mobile ballot box during the presidential election in Hrusova, Moldova in November 2020. Photo: Roveliu Buga/Associated Press

Moldova has a population of 2.6 million, with fewer than 157,000 official Covid-19 cases and more than 3,300 deaths.However, the actual number of infections may be much higher because the government only tests 1,000 to 3,000 people a day, reaching an alarming rate. 58% positive test In December. People with mild symptoms are usually refused testing for several weeks. The frontline doctor who works in the Covid ward is the only doctor to be tested. In addition, although both my father and grandmother suffer from many typical Covid symptoms, their test results were negative. They only tested it once.

Medical staff infection rate May 25%, The highest in Europe, while neighboring Romania is only 12%.

The pandemic revealed the serious underfunding and poor management of the overwhelmed public health services in the former Soviet Republic. The long-term impact can be catastrophic.

The case of Mătrăgună clearly illustrates one of the most chronic diseases of the Moldovan health system: the drain of medical personnel. Less than one-third of medical staff have reached retirement age. The average monthly salary of a GP is now approximately £430. Increase by 30% In 2020.In addition to limited funds, those who stay at home also face corruption And the politicization of hospital management. Many people seek better opportunities and fairer systems abroad. Without massive capital injection and medical care modernization, Moldova’s young doctors will continue to travel to richer countries, and domestic Moldovans will eventually receive more substandard medical conditions.

Mass migration is not only a problem for Moldova’s health system: it may be the country’s biggest challenge. Due to lack of job opportunities in the country or looking for a better standard of living in the West, Russia or Israel, more than one million Moldovans-including myself-have left the country. In the past year, tens of thousands of us have either lost their jobs abroad due to blockade restrictions or have sufficient privileges to work remotely. Back homeHowever, unless the government eventually provides some financial support to its citizens, this reverse migration may be temporary.

Masks must be worn even on the street, social distancing rules have been established, stores measure everyone’s body temperature, but not everyone abides by government recommendations, and vaccine suspicion is high, even among health professionals.in survey, People say they care more about economic crises than health crises: disease has not even become the five main concerns of Moldovans-followed by children’s future, high prices, poverty, unemployment and corruption.

Throughout 2020, Moldova is one of the few European countries that has hardly provided any economic relief to citizens or small businesses. The consequences may start to be severe in 2021. Newly-elected President Maya SanduFormer World Bank economist, took office on Christmas Eve and received commitments from Western partners, including donations 200,000 doses of vaccine 15 million euro crisis grants provided by Romania and the European Union.

But Moldova’s executive officers have since resignationThe government lacks a legal majority of seats in parliament. The political class is struggling to organize fast parliamentary elections and is also looking for ways to implement a mass vaccination plan.

The light at the end of our tunnel is not even visible.



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