Doctors from the Kozle clinic in Skopje, which is one of the front-line Covid-19 centers in the capital, demand that the Ministry removes the clinic manager Angelco Andonovski, after a lengthy period of discrimination, abuse and incompetence. In an unprecedented open letter shared with the public, the doctors and nurses from the clinic say that Andonovski would not even put in place separate ambulances for children with the coronavirus and those who don’t show the symptoms and are brought for treatment for other diseases.

The pediatric ambulance is in the same red zone ward where Covid-19 patients are hospitalized. That is where we examine each child, and not all of them have Covid-19 infections. This means that negative and positive children are mixed, which contributes to the spread of the infection and endangers the health of our patients. As pediatric doctors we must prevent the spread of the virus and we informed the manager Andonovski with a written note but received no response, the doctors said in their letter.

They add that they have alarmed Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce of this and other failures in the clinic three months ago, but despite promises that steps will be taken, he has not moved on the issue. In the meantime, Andonovski responded with abuse toward his employees.

Doctors are exposed to successive mobbing and degrading treatment. The manager uses a special mobile app to follow the employees through hospital cameras, sends malicious comments, threats and orders financial fines. Messages sent to doctors testify as to the treatment. He is dividing the employees and greatly undermining the climate at work, which has prompted a number of staff to leave the hospital, it’s said in the letter.

Doctors from the clinic say that Andonovski is not using protective gear at work, except for when he needs to have a picture taken and shared on his social media accounts as part of his personal PR campaigns.