Here is an epidemiologist's salary in Kosovo, Albania, Northern Macedonia

Doctors are the first front in the fight against coronavirus. Daily, they have to face the danger, while at night they cannot embrace their children and relatives. What, though, are the doctors ' daily challenges, and is all the effort worth the day's end?

Ermelinda Murati is epidemiologist, and every morning begins tracking their infected and contacts, along with team comprised of 4 people, along with aid to epidemiologist, labantine and public health specialist

There are four women and mothers leaving their children at home to return in the evening without the special clothing they wear when they go out on the ground but the weight of fear of infection. The task requires them to leave the field office in urban and rural areas, wherever the invisible agent named David19 has infiltrated.

We do the meeting, in the morning, meeting a group of specialists evaluate cases, usually coming from 127 and health - care doctors. Then we plan, we prepare the tabs, we look at how many shelters we have, we plan on going to work”, said Murati.

Like warriors before the battle, doctors wear their shields, which in this case are the advantages, glasses, and gloves. Part of the field group, there are Esida and Liberty, two young mothers who left their children at home to continue their work in finding those infected by coronavirus.

We left the kids at home, we're so scared if we don't have what to do. We have a family, meeting that we live in a house, it's inevitable”, says Liberty. “Every day is a new page of war on the virus that must be found and isolated. Coping with it is difficult and tiring. The effort and dedication these ladies give to the citizens they serve is difficult to justify with the financial reward they receive”, Esida says.

What about epidemiologists on the ground, the dangers, and the confronting of viruses? In Albania an epidemiologist is paid out of 57 thousand new dollars per month, or 6 million and 800 thousand dollars per year

In Kosovo, monthly salaries for an epidemiologist amount to about 600 euros and in northern Macedonia, 585 euros. In 2020, the average salary of an epidemiologist in the United States is $96,000 a year. In Germany ranges from 65 thousand euros to 84 thousand euros a year.

As if the difficulties and conditions of the health system in Albania are not enough, how can we become competitive and maintain doctors and investment that Albanian institutions conduct over the years for an epidemiologist? One way could be by paying them with the dignity they deserve.