VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski rejected the finding of the forensics team that blamed the deadly Tetovo hospital fire on a faulty power extension cord, and carefully avoided laying blame on the structural and organizational defects in the hospital. The fire on September 8th killed 14 patients and their family members, with another patient dying just before the fire – the report blames the defibrilator used to revive her for the fire.

We can’t blame some cable or a charger for the fire, without demanding accountability from the responsible officials, from the Healthcare Minister and the Deputy Minister. They are directly responsible for the lives of the patients in the hospital, Mickoski said.

Zoran Zaev quickly seized on the report to declare that he will not accept the resignation offer from his Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce and his deputy Ilir Hasani.

Zaev’s goal is to cover up the objective fault he and his ministers bear for allowing oxygen canisters in an unsecured hospital and for allowing relatives of patients and other civilians in the hospital. Who is responsible for the lives of the patients if not the Minister, the Deputy Minister and the Government? The public sees that Zoran Zaev and Ali Ahmeti reached another of their arrangements, in this case to hold nobody responsible for the disaster, Mickoski said.