The Parliament’s inquiry committee on the Oncology Clinic scandal concluded its Wednesday session with testimonies from Eftim Naskov, the Health Insurance Fund’s chief internal auditor, and Maja Parnardzhieva Zmejkova, who served as the Health Insurance Fund’s director from August 2009 to February 2015. They answered MPs’ questions regarding the scandal.

Earlier in the day, the committee also heard from Faton Ahmeti, who was the General Director of the Health Insurance Fund from October 2020 to August 2023. Ahmeti stated that various controls were conducted at the Oncology Clinic during his tenure, with findings submitted to relevant authorities. He emphasized that the Health Insurance Fund lacks the authority to scrutinize the detailed administration of drugs to patients, which falls under the clinic’s responsibility.

Magdalena Filipovska Grashkovska, who briefly served as acting director and was subsequently appointed as the general director, highlighted similar controls and submissions of documentation to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the inquiry committee, and the State Audit Office. She stressed that the Health Insurance Fund is not an inspection service and lacks the authority to issue penalties.

Cvete Serafimoski, the director of the control department at the Health Insurance Fund, emphasized the importance of respecting the presumption of innocence. He mentioned the need to investigate suspicions at the Oncology Clinic to determine their validity and any potential political or personal responsibility. Controls, in coordination with other departments, revealed irregularities, such as unrecorded drug returns, handwritten therapy doses without proper documentation, and double billing for therapy.

Serafimoski expressed disbelief at the possibility of someone reselling cancer therapy and underscored the need for investigative authorities to establish the facts.

The inquiry committee was established on September 20 to investigate the Oncology Clinic case, prompted by media allegations of staff withholding medical care and reselling cancer drugs. The Public Prosecutor’s Office is also conducting an investigation.