The measures proposed by the Government are insufficient to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, said VMRO-DPMNE Executive Committee member doctor Igor Nikolov. He called for the creation of a crisis team that would inform the public and handle the situation, after a number of major failures by Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce.

The crisis team would give clear directions to all healthcare workers in how they need to act to protect themselves and their patients. High end healthcare providers need to be uncluttered, with non-essential, elective operations being postponed. A plan needs to be put in place to rotate all healthcare workers and to rely on young doctors and retirees. Quarantine orders need to be verified, Nikolov said.

The biggest failure so far was the refusal of the Dermatology Clinic director Nina Caca Biljanovska – an official of the ruling SDSM party close to Minister Filipce, to self-quarantine after a ski trip to Italy which led to the closure of the clinic and spread fear among Macedonia’s top healthcare providing institution. Filipce responded by deleting a video of Biljanovska he promoted just months ago, and even apparently “liked” a hateful tweet that describes the members of the opposition party to a virus.

The incompetent actions of the Minister and of the people he appointed to mange the public healthcare system just made matters worse and endangered the public. These actions we are proposing should have been put in place immediately, Nikolov said.