site.btaNorth Macedonia Fire Patients Offered Follow-up Care in Bulgarian Hospitals Where They Received Treatment

People from North Macedonia discharged from Bulgarian hospitals after receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained in the Kocani nightclub fire can return periodically for follow-up care in Bulgaria, if necessary, the Foreign Ministry in Sofia told BTA on Tuesday. In addition to medical services, the patients and accompanying family members will continue to receive support from the Bulgarian government for their accommodation in this country until they return home permanently, the Foreign Ministry said.

Earlier in the day, the Pirogov Emergency Hospital in Sofia discharged four patients injured in the Kocani tragedy. They are in good condition. Four others remain in Pirogov. A total of 15 patients were brought to Bulgaria for treatment after the March 16 incident.

The Foreign Ministry also said that information about the condition of the patients still receiving treatment in Bulgaria and those discharged cannot be made public because it is personal.

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry stays in contact with the families of those discharged. The families have thanked the medical specialists at Pirogov as well as the military hospital in the Black Sea city of Varna and the St George Hospital in Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria. They also thank the Bulgarian ministries of health and foreign affairs and the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje for the timely and expert help at this difficult moment for the families, the press release said. The relatives extended thanks to the Bulgarian blood donors as well.

A total of 61 people died and 153 suffered varying degrees of burns and other injuries in the disco fire in Kocani on March 16. Most of the victims were aged between 14 and 25. The fire was caused by sparks from pyrotechnics used for lighting effects. Hundreds of people rushed to the only exit as flames engulfed the roof of the building.