site.btaKocani Patients in Pirogov Hospital Slowly Recover

All eight patients seriously injured in the fire at a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, who were hospitalized at Pirogov Hospital, have now been extubated. None of the patients is on ventilator breathing, some of them use oxygen mask, said the director of the hospital Dr. Valentin Dimitrov on the air of Nova TV.

This type of burns and lesions are severe and require long treatment and recovery, there is always a risk to life, he said. "In this type of lesions that have affected the upper and lower respiratory tract, the severe condition lasts for a long time because they have inhaled poisonous gases, bacteria, dust, smoke - it is an amalgam of harmful substances, and this becomes an environment for the development of infections. We want to help these people as quickly as possible and get them back to their families, but we cannot say how long their treatment will last,” the Pirogov director explained.

Dr. Dimitrov thanked everyone who donated blood for the treatment of the victims. "I had not seen such a spontaneous and quick response and such a willingness to help for a long time," he said and noted that it is possible to resume the campaign if needed. 

"The treatment itself is very expensive because it involves a lot of organic products, a lot of antibiotics, a lot of specific equipment, but in this case, we are not thinking about the money. The question of what costs how much and how it will be paid for is not on the agenda at all. The hospital is covered," Dr. Dimitrov said.

“We give information to the relatives about the condition of the victims once a day, we also give information to the authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia,” he said. 

A total of 59 people died and more than 150 were injured after a fire broke out at a disco in Kocani during a concert. Some of the injured were transported abroad for treatment.

Fourteen of the injured were transported to Bulgaria, eight patients were accommodated in Pirogov.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Timco Mucunski and Minister of Health Arben Taravari were in Sofia on March 18 and visited the Pirogov Hospital. The two were accompanied by their Bulgarian counterparts - Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev and Minister of Health Silvi Kirilov.