Builders of the improvised Covid hospital in Tetovo, that burnt to the ground in 2021 with the loss of 15 lives, did not prepare a plan for the electric wiring. This was revealed at the trial in Tetovo today, during which the court heard from an electric engineer.

The Brako company, owned by Zaev’s former Deputy Prime Minister Koco Angjusev, was awarded a contract to build Covid field hospitals. Expert witness Irfan Shakiri said that the wiring work was done without paying attention to the law, by two hospital employees who did not prepare a plan and without proper oversight. Brako also didn’t prepare a scheme for the wiring, or hire experts for the job.
The fire broke out while Macedonia was celebrating its 20th independence day, after doctors used a defibrillator to resuscitate a patient. Oxygen canisters used on the Covid patients contributed to the fire, as did the flammable insulation panels used to build the hospital.
The two hospital are charged with the disaster, as is doctor Boban Vucevski. Protesters gathered in front of the court today to protest the charges against Vucevski, insisting that he had nothing to do with the construction, or the fire, and that he spent the pandemic selflessly helping the patients.