Doctor announces hunger strike after third rejection in Medical Faculty hiring contest

Doctor Darko Vasilevski published an open letter and Facebook posts accusing the selection process in a recent public hiring notice at the Medical Faculty in Skopje of lacking transparency and fairness. Vasilevski, a private specialist-in-training, says he was rejected for the third time in the competition and that notices about accepted candidates were sent by email “without legal advice and without an explanation of the criteria” used.

He calls for transparent criteria and announces a hunger strike

In the open letter addressed to the Ministry of Health, the Dean's Office of the Medical Faculty in Skopje and the Ministry of Education and Science, Vasilevski said the contested procedure was announced as public job announcement 01/2026: "for employment of a medical doctor, 2 (two) executors for the Institute for Medical and Experimental Physiology with Anthropology, for an indefinite period at the Medical Faculty in Skopje within Ss. Cyril and Methodius University (UKIM)."

Vasilevski wrote on Facebook that the way candidates were selected raises questions about transparency, the selection criteria and equal treatment. He also claims he was discriminated against on the basis of age and stressed that a candidate's age should not be used as a hiring criterion.

Translated from his statement: "Age is not a criterion for employment, but grounds for discrimination! A public announcement for employment should guarantee equal opportunities; the choice must be transparent, objective and based on knowledge, expertise, experience and fulfillment of requirements. As a physician and a private specialist-in-training who has invested private funds for years into education, professional improvement and acquiring knowledge, I expected to have an equal opportunity to present my qualifications in a public announcement."

He told the institutions he does not seek privileges but equal opportunity, a fair procedure and recognition of long-term education, work and professional development. Vasilevski demanded that the public be informed about the basis on which the selection decision was made.

In his appeal he added: "The public has the right to know how and on what criteria the decision was made. Therefore I call on the Dean's Office of the Medical Faculty, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Science regarding Public Announcement 01/2026 to ensure a clear, transparent selection process in which merit, competence and professional achievements take precedence. As a final form of peaceful civic protest, I announce a hunger strike so that my demand for a fair and transparent process will be heard."

Photo: Fejsbuk