Health ministry opens probe after woman from Banica left unable to walk following C‑section in Shtip

The Ministry of Health announced it will carry out a thorough review of the case of Stanka Mihajlova, a woman from the village of Banica near Strumica who, according to her family, cannot walk and is now using a wheelchair after delivering by caesarean section at Shtip Clinical Hospital.

Inspection launched in three hospitals

By order of Minister Sasho Klekovski, the State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate (SSHI) is conducting extraordinary inspections at all three institutions where Mihajlova was treated: General Hospital Strumica, Shtip Clinical Hospital and the University Clinic for Neurology in Skopje. The inspectorate is expected to complete the checks in the coming days and to collect the full medical documentation from the three hospitals.

The case became widely known after Mihajlova's father-in-law, Velibran Stojanov, began livestreaming from in front of hospitals in Strumica and Shtip and appealed publicly to Minister Klekovski for help. In his first live broadcast he said that a gynaecologist from the Strumica hospital told him: "Stanka will remain paralyzed and they're taking her to hospitals for nothing." That remark prompted the family to bring the situation to public attention.

The family provided the patient's complete medical records to media outlets with Stanka's consent. According to those documents, "for 1 month she underwent more than 27 examinations" without a clear diagnosis to explain the paraplegia, and she was discharged from Shtip General Hospital after the caesarean section "in good general condition", even though the family says she was carried out under the arm from the hospital to home and was unable to walk properly. Mihajlova is currently hospitalised on the neurology ward in Shtip.

The Ministry emphasised that respect for the patient's dignity, privacy and protection of personal and medical data will be maintained throughout the procedure. Officials said that, based on the fully established factual situation, expert conclusions will follow and, if necessary, further actions will be taken within the authorities' remit and applicable law. "The Ministry will ensure that these rights are fully respected — both during the inspection and in subsequent communication with the patient and her family," the statement added.

Authorities urged the public to refrain from premature conclusions, speculation or sharing personal data that could further distress the patient and her relatives. The Ministry also appealed to the media to act correctly and protect the dignity of health workers involved; any eventual professional responsibility will be established solely on the basis of the results of the expert review and not by public condemnation before those procedures conclude.

Photo: press material from the event