Macedonian Minister of Health Azir Aliu has requested that the data related to the case of sending part of the brains from Macedonian patients to the US Columbia University for scientific research be analyzed. He stressed that as a line ministry, they were not responsible for the investigation, since it was a research project that began in 1996.
“For each project to be started, you know that there is a memorandum signed by both parties, most likely between the institutions that keep those documents, either the University or MANU, or the Institute. We are not responsible for any of these three institutions, the Ministry of Education and Science is responsible. We are responsible for granting a license or permit for importing material or exporting material to any of the institutions, and we focused on that part,” elaborated Minister Aliu.
The health minister says that the working group is analyzing whether the protocols are being followed in accordance with the old Law, which was in force 30 years ago, because as he explains, there were other procedures back then and MALMED did not exist separately, but was part of the structure of the Ministry of Health.
“I think we should not rush with information about possible abuses, because personally, if you ask me as a person, not as a minister and as a Ministry, I believe that there is very little possibility of abuse in this case, because it is a research project between two countries, and the other country is the USA, which has very clearly defined protocols when it comes to biological material. First, we should take this fact into account. The second fact that we should take into account, which gives me comfort, is that I wouldn’t have any dilemmas about abuses, because this is a prestigious university,” said Minister Aliu.
