Serbian health institutions, entirely at their own expense, will perform all necessary procedures for children injured in the Pulse disco fire in Kochani, who need additional treatment or surgical procedures, Macedonian Minister of Local Self-Government and leader of the Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia Ivan Stoilkovikj said Saturday.
Stoilkovikj informed that after talks with the Serbian state leadership, Serbian health institutions will perform the interventions at their own expense, and the institutions of the two countries have already started official communication for the fastest possible implementation of the process.
Stoilkovikj points out that a few days ago, during a visit to Kocani, he met with a group of young people whose lives have changed forever after the tragedy. As he states, in their testimonies he saw the immense pain, but also the fear that without new surgical procedures, which should be performed by September, the consequences of the injuries could permanently mark their lives.
According to the minister, the victims said that they had contacted the doctors who had previously treated them in Belgrade, but received a response that there was no cooperation agreement between the Macedonian and Serbian Health Insurance Funds, which is why they could not continue their treatment through the institutions. At the same time, the high costs of surgeries in private clinics were unaffordable for their families, leaving them, as he says, without hope of being able to fully recover.
After intensive talks with Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut, Minister of Health Zlatibor Lončar, as well as with the Serbian state leadership and President Aleksandar Vučić, the Macedonian minister received confirmation that all necessary surgical interventions would be performed in Serbian health institutions and would be fully covered by the neighboring country.
