Zylyf Isufi is the first and only doctor in Albania to have braved the depths of the sea. He is the only specialist in marine physiology.
He has gone back in time as he remembers that during his career he sailed for 22 days in a submarine at a depth of 50 meters.
"In 1969, I became a physiologist of the Submarine Brigade, with the corresponding rank. We went with the group for specialization to China, from Beijing to Shanghai, to learn the most advanced practices for the health of crews underwater."
"In 1971, we started working at Pashaliman, where I worked until the late 1980s as a physiologist and base medical officer. It was my responsibility to sort out the crew before each voyage, to separate light and heavy dives, and to ensure that the crews worked in optimal conditions," he said.
The doctor said that the tunnels were being cleaned in Vau i Dejës and that he was the only one who dealt with this.
"A lot of times we went in not knowing exactly what was going to happen, but I identified each person's functional parameters: how much they could tolerate the environment, how long they had to stay down, and when they had to come out. How many hours did they have to stay in the water? One, two, three – it depended on the depth.
During my career, I have sailed for 22 days in a submarine, at a depth of 50 meters, where the temperature was extremely high, the humidity was over 45%, and the confined air contained harmful gases. We went from the Adriatic to Santa Maria, Italy.
"It was hard work: we were in 45–47 degrees with canisters. For 22 days we didn't surface at all; my stomach wasn't working, I lost 3 to 5 kg and my face turned white from the effects of the submarine gases," he added.
Isufi added that there is no other doctor as specialized in naval physiology and medicine.
"I'm the only one. Are there young people who should become like me? No, because it's not taught in college, it's not recognized as a specialization. This was my chance: to work my whole life to provide knowledge and ensure that crews are protected."
The Albanian Navy only has 4-6 ships, but I knew the health status of every member. During my career, we had three accidents in the navy; in 1961, in the Submarine Brigade, two people lost their lives in Durrës because they didn’t know they had run out of air. This gave me the opportunity to set standards that saved other lives,” he added.
