English
Last year, one thousand patients were diagnosed with breast cancer, and currently, 7,000 patients are undergoing active treatment at the University Clinic for Radiotherapy and Oncology,” stated representatives from the “Hema-Onko” Association. They organized an event at the Clinic today—titled “Breakfast with Hema-Onko”—dedicated to patients, healthcare professionals, and the collaborative effort to build better, more comprehensive oncological care.
The Clinic’s Director, Igor Stojkovski, stated that new medications for cancer patients—specifically for breast cancer—were introduced last year, and the number of patients receiving specialized treatment has increased.
We have initiated a partial rollout of decentralized services; specifically, a consultative-specialist oncology service is now partially operational at the ‘8th of September’ City General Hospital. We are continuing this effort this year—and hopefully next year as well—by having an oncologist from Skopje travel to the Clinical Hospital in Bitola. This is a measure we can take for the benefit of patients and to help alleviate some of the overcrowding at the Clinic. Occasionally, there may be minor delays in therapy administration due to distribution issues. Regarding the idea—proposed during the tenure of the previous Minister of Health—to implement a three-year procurement plan for certain therapies, doctor Stojkovski stated that work is underway and that this could likely be realized in the next public procurement cycle for 2027.
When asked about the waiting times patients face when arriving for treatment—given the frequent complaints on social media about patients arriving at the Clinic in the morning but only completing their therapy in the afternoon—he explained that the duration depends on the specific treatment, as different therapies require varying amounts of time.
Addressing the long-discussed plan to disperse (decentralize) oncology treatment services to the “8th of September” City General Hospital, as well as to facilities in Bitola and Štip, he noted that the rollout is planned to take place in several phases.