Over the past 24 hours, another patient, aged 76, has been hospitalized at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases. He has been diagnosed with viral meningitis, while serological tests of his serum came back positive for West Nile virus. This brings the total number of patients to seven, while 10 people have been confirmed as having West Nile Fever. Three of them are in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit and on mechanical ventilation. So far, their condition has shown no improvement. All the patients are from Skopje.

The information was announced today by the clinic’s director, Fadil Cana. He explained that further tests on cerebrospinal fluid are needed to confirm the neuroinvasive form of the disease in the seventh suspected case.

Cana stressed that PCR technology is not considered the gold standard for diagnosing the neuroinvasive form of West Nile Fever. For this reason, these patients undergo other laboratory tests and are treated as West Nile Fever patients.

“The disease’s incubation period can last up to 14 days. It is not possible to predict in advance how the disease will develop in each person’s body. Data available so far show that older people are at greater risk of developing severe forms of the disease. All patients hospitalized in our country are over 60 years old and also have underlying health conditions.

A more severe clinical presentation may occur more frequently among older people, those with chronic illnesses and people with compromised, or weakened, immune systems. In around 80 percent of those infected, the disease is mild or causes no symptoms at all,” Cana added./Telegrafi/

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The executive has given the green light for the hiring of 300 specialists from the private sector in state hospitals and health centers, with a deadline of 2026.

The Ministry of Health informs that the measure aims to stop the departure of young doctors abroad, address the pronounced vacancies in specialist positions, and increase the capacities of clinics, hospitals and health centers.

Another key objective is a more equal distribution of medical staff across the entire territory and the reduction of waiting lists for citizens.

Minister of Health Klekovski described this as a strategic investment for the future of healthcare and for the professional growth of the new generation of doctors, emphasizing that the main goal remains for them to develop their careers within Macedonia. The recruitment process will be guided by the concrete requests of public health institutions, prioritizing those areas facing the greatest shortage of specialists.

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The Infectious Disease Clinic in Skopje is currently treating seven patients diagnosed with West Nile fever.

The director of the institution, Fadil Cana, announced today that the most concerning case remains that of a 76-year-old man from Skopje, who is breathing with mechanical assistance in the intensive care unit. He emphasized that the patient has been hospitalized for seven days and had no history of travel abroad.

The other six, all over the age of 60, are in stable condition. Doctor Cana revealed that only one of these patients had previously traveled to Greece.

“All hospitalized individuals have developed encephalitis and meningitis of viral origin. The clinical picture is dominated by high fever, intense headache, disorientation, and confusion,” Cana told the AIM news agency.

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Eight people have so far been diagnosed with West Nile fever in the country. The latest report from the Institute of Public Health (IPH) shows that seven cases were confirmed through laboratory tests, while another was classified as a probable case.

Five new cases were confirmed in July alone. Two of the patients had developed symptoms in June, while another began experiencing symptoms in May. The latest case was recorded last Thursday.

Six of the identified cases are locally acquired and were reported in Skopje and Veles. One patient from Skopje had traveled to Greece, but his stay in the country also fell within the incubation period.

Those infected include seven men and one woman. Six patients are over the age of 60, while the other two are between 50 and 59 years old.

All those affected developed the neuroinvasive form of the infection, involving the central nervous system, and were therefore hospitalized. Three patients have already been discharged and are continuing treatment at home.

The first case of West Nile fever in North Macedonia was recorded in 2011. From that year through the end of 2025, a total of 54 cases were laboratory-confirmed, while five people died as a result of complications linked to the disease.

West Nile fever is a viral infection spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes, mainly those of the Culex and Aedes genera. In nature, the virus circulates between wild birds and mosquitoes, while humans and horses are considered incidental hosts. Human-to-human transmission does not occur, except in rare situations such as blood transfusions or organ transplants./Telegrafi/

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Zorica Zafirovska, an epidemiologist at the Public Health Center in Tetovo, said that the number of people seeking medical assistance following the water contamination in Gostivar had declined over the past 24 hours.

During this period, a total of 111 patients sought treatment.

“The number has declined over the past 24 hours. Another 111 patients sought assistance at the Infectious Diseases Ward in Gostivar, while 26 others came in for medical examinations. Seven new cases were registered at the Emergency Center in Gostivar, while 65 new patients were reported at the Pediatrics Department,” Zafirovska said.

She stressed that the situation was improving compared with the previous day. A gastroenteritis epidemic has been declared in the Municipality of Gostivar, while the epidemiological situation is being monitored continuously.

“Epidemiological investigations are underway, and samples are being taken for analysis, including stool cultures. We are currently awaiting the results of the samples collected,” the epidemiologist said.

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In an interview with “360 Degrees,” the director of the Health Insurance Fund (HIF) said this budget represents approximately 5.8% of GDP and 15% of the state budget. According to him, healthcare funds in North Macedonia are larger than those of Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but remain lower compared with other countries in the region.

“Essentially, the parameters you mentioned correspond to the country’s overall development. So, we are ahead of Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia in most other parameters, and that is the real situation. Essentially, the share of GDP and public spending, public finances, is where it is at the moment. It is not very far from the European average, that is, from what is desired — for ten percent of GDP to be allocated. However, at this moment, these are the given parameters. My focus as director of the Health Fund, and I assume as minister, is on rationalizing its use. So, I have said many times that in the current spending of these funds you mentioned, there is a great deal of waste,” said Klekovski.

He also spoke about the financial liabilities in the public system, stressing that the shared services of Skopje’s university clinics have a debt of around 35 million euros. According to him, among the clinics, the biggest debtor is the Oncology Clinic.

“Essentially, debts in public healthcare do exist. They are greatest in the shared services, which are not a healthcare institution but a public institution, and we are committed to managing them. This is due to several internal and external, subjective and objective factors. They require not only short-term measures, but also medium-term measures. In 2024, when there were conditions in the budget, we carried out an extraordinary debt relief for public healthcare, and our goal is to achieve regular payments. At the Fund, we are making regular payments to family doctors, pharmacies, and certain groups of suppliers.”

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However, according to what “TV24” reports, some citizens have said that in some pharmacies they were told the medicine is still not being dispensed with a prescription, on the grounds that a notification from the Fund is still being awaited.

The Health Insurance Fund clarified that the medicine has been on the positive list since July 1 and that pharmacies are obliged to stock it and dispense it to insured persons who need it.

“As of July 1, 2026, the medicine enoxaparin (Clexane) has been provided through the Positive Drug List and can be purchased and dispensed at PHI pharmacies that have signed an agreement with the Fund. Under the provisions of the agreement concluded with the Fund, pharmacies are obliged to provide, that is, purchase and dispense medicines for the needs of insured persons, for specific medical diagnoses and within the framework of legal regulations.

In this way, insured persons receive the medicine at pharmacies that have an agreement with the Fund, based on a prescription issued by their chosen doctor, without first buying it and then submitting a reimbursement request,” HIF said.

The inclusion of Clexane on the positive list had been expected to happen last year, but the procedure was postponed due to technical and administrative difficulties.

The most recent expansion of the positive list with new medicines was made in 2024. That list included medications for high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and dementia.

In May this year, the prime minister announced that the list of medicines covered by the Fund would be expanded again, but so far there is still no concrete information on when the next update will take place./Telegrafi/

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