Skopje, 4 April 2026 (MIA) — Nearly half of adults in the country smoke, creating an "impossible race" for the health care system to keep up with rising cancer rates, Health Insurance Fund director Sasho Klekovski said Saturday.

Klekovski called for a strict implementation of the new law banning smoking in public, noting that 45% of the country’s adult population uses tobacco. He said even significant investments in medical screenings and high-tech treatments cannot offset the damage caused by the widespread smoking.

"The easiest thing to do is pass a law, but implementation is what matters," Klekovski said during a press conference at the University Clinic of Radiotherapy and Oncology. 

"We already have a law," he said. "We need higher standards of enforcing it."

If passed and enforced, Klekovski said, the new anti-smoking law would be the most progressive in the region, but it would require "massive support" from the public to succeed.

"Ultimately, we are the ones who have to respect that law," he said.

Oncology clinic director Igor Stojkovski, too, highlighted the need of personal responsibility, noting that doctors frequently treat patients whose cancer is already at an advanced stage.

"Very often, the initial symptoms are neglected by the patient, not the system," Stojkovski said. mr/