The regional Covid-19 center in Stip is badly failing to provide treatment to five dozen patients from all across the eastern parts of Macedonia, said Sanela Petrova from VMRO-DPMNE during a press conference.

Petrova revealed that the center lacks a simple regulator that costs just 50 EUR and is used to regulate the flow of oxygen to patients who have lower saturation.

The hospital has no central flow of oxygen, which means patients are dependent on gas canisters, which are often lacking. Even when they are available, because there are no regulators, patients receive uncontrolled quantities of oxygen. They also share the same breathing mask, and the hospital is often unable to serve several patients. Staff is forced to choose which patient gets the badly needed oxygen, Petrova said.

Stip is one of the hotbeds of coronavirus spread, mainly due to the large textile industry which puts women workers in cramped conditions. Its hospital is used as a regional Covid-19 center, but has suffered from lack of equipment from the start of the epidemic.