Skopje, 17 October 2023 (MIA) - It is not that there is no budget in healthcare institutions, but there is no order and no discipline. Every healthcare institution in the country receives budget from the Health Insurance Fund (FZO), but we have poor management that has not delivered any results, said Health Minister Fatmir Mexhiti who testified on Tuesday before the Parliament's inquiry committee over the Oncology Clinic scandal.

Mexhiti said that he will do his utmost, together with all citizens, to build a healthcare system that befits a serious state.

"We are indeed focused on responsible problem-solving for patients who have to travel to other cities in a difficult condition after receiving difficult therapies, we need to resolve these issues once and for all, that is the most important thing in healthcare," Mexhiti added. 

As regards the shortage of medical staff, Mexhiti said the Health Ministry has initiatives to transform the contracts of healthcare workers into indefinite period employment contracts. 

Asked whether he would resign from office due to moral responsibility, Minister Mexhiti said his resignation would not contribute anything, because things have happened before he took office.

When asked if he experienced any political pressure after all the developments in the case, he said he did not feel pressured, and he would not allow himself to feel pressured.

The Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the case following media allegations that the Oncology Clinic staff were withholding life-saving medical care from cancer patients and reselling cancer drugs.

Photo: MIA