As part of a friendly gesture and to help a collapsing healthcare system in Italy, Albania on Saturday sent a team of 30 doctors to the country to fight the fast-spreading coronavirus. Italy, so far has recorded the maximum number of deaths owing to coronavirus that is inching towards a whopping 10,000.
The Albanian doctors will work alongside Italian doctors over the next few weeks, as the country's healthcare system grapples to put in check the growing number of deaths resulting from coronavirus. The news was first reported by Italy's newspaper Corriere della Sera. Albania decision to send doctors to help Italy comes amid its own fight to contain the deadly coronavirus that has claimed quite a few lives there.
A timely help
Albania, one of the poorest European countries, as a friendly gesture and on humanitarian grounds flew a team of doctors and nurses to Italy on Saturday to fight the deadly coronavirus. The 30 doctors and the team of nurses will stay there for a month and work alongside their Italian counterparts to contain the spread the virus.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama sanctioned $95,000 to these doctors and nurses, who without caring about their safety volunteered to travel to Italy. The decision to send the team of doctors was earlier agreed upon by Italy's Health Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Friday.
The Italian Embassy confirmed that the plane carrying a team of doctors and nurses left Tirana in mid-afternoon and reached Bergamo. The team will be working in Bergamo, which has been the worst affected city by the coronavirus pandemic.
A friendly gesture
Till Friday, Italy had reported 9,134 deaths due to the coronavirus infection. Italy has time and again helped Albania after the country toppled communism in the 1980s. Albania also has always looked up to Italy in times of distress. Italy helped Albania avoid a major famine in the early 1990s and anarchy in 1997.
Albania's move is now a friendly gesture and a way of repaying its neighbor during this time of crisis. Albania itself has reported 197 cases of coronavirus with 10 deaths. However, despite being very close to Italy by air and sea route, Albania still hasn't been affected much by the coronavirus outbreak.
