Deutsche Welle today carried a statement from unnamed World Bank representatives in Macedonia, claiming that the management of the Covid hospital in Tetovo was under the mandate of the local municipal authorities. This is the second such report in the SDSM aligned news outlet alleging that SDSM’s coalition partner DUI, which has ran Tetovo for over a decade, is to blame for the catastrophic fire that killed 15 patients and their family members.

According to the statement, the construction of the hospital, which falls under the mandate of SDSM appointed Government ministers, was done in accordance with international and domestic standards. The World Bank supported the project.

The project provided specific steps to prevent fires and plans for emergencies. There is an obligation to prepare a plan for fire protection. This was supposed to be done and be implemented by the appointed hospital staff under the supervision of the hospital director, Deutsche Welle reports, quoting World Bank sources.

The hospital director Florin Besimi is brother of DUI appointed Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi. DUI has responded to these accusation by trying to shift the blame toward SDSM – by focusing on the fact that the hospitals were apparently built using highly flammable insulation panels.