Klekovski: Agreement with Bulgaria’s health minister that Mihajlova case belongs to justice, not health

Health Minister Sasho Klekovski said he and Bulgaria's health minister, Katya Ivkova, reached a tacit agreement that the case of Iva Mihajlova falls within the domain of justice rather than health care. "We reached a tacit agreement that the matter with I.M is not a health issue, but a matter of the domain of justice, because the person is a fugitive from justice and is sought by an international arrest warrant. As it is a matter of justice, not a health matter, we did not examine it," Klekovski said after a ceremony in Skopje.

Cooperation deal signed, but Mihajlova's departure strains ties

Klekovski, who yesterday signed a 2026–2028 cooperation plan with Katya Ivkova in Sofia, confirmed that the accused, Iva Mihajlova—who holds both Macedonian and Bulgarian citizenship—left the country on 11 October and is currently in Sofia where she has retained a Bulgarian lawyer. The trial against Mihajlova is ongoing in Kochani; she faces charges in a fatal traffic crash.

The minister repeated that Macedonian authorities view the matter primarily as a justice issue because Mihajlova is wanted internationally. He also said the Macedonian Foreign Ministry warned that Bulgaria's accepting the accused at a high level risks harming good-neighbour relations.

Klekovski said he had requested the State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate (DSZI) to widen its oversight after the report connected to doctor Ivan Barbov and his patient. "Already at this stage there are established violations and professional oversight has been requested for the medical part of the report," he added.

The accident occurred on 7 October 2025 on the Kochani–Shtip road, when two vehicles collided head-on. A 33-year-old man was killed and several others were injured. Prosecutors charge the then-23-year-old Mihajlova with speeding and crossing into the opposite lane; her legal team argues the other vehicle entered her lane while trying to avoid a stopped police car and that she was the victim. She suffered serious spinal injuries.

Because of the court proceedings, precautionary measures had been imposed on Mihajlova, including passport seizure and a ban on leaving the country. Her family said she needed treatment in Sofia, arguing domestic facilities could not meet her medical needs. Mihajlova and her Bulgarian lawyer, Nikolaj Dimitrov, told Bulgarian media on 11 October that they crossed the border legally at an official crossing and that Macedonian police knew who she was but allowed them to pass; the Macedonian Ministry of Interior says she did not leave legally.

Photo: Ministerstvo za zdravstvo)