Klekovski in Belgrade: expanded cooperation with Serbia on treatment and clinical training

North Macedonia's Minister of Health, Sasho Klekovski, travelled to Belgrade where he met with Serbia's Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar and visited the University Clinical Center of Serbia (UCCS).

Agreements on referrals, second opinions and training

Officials said the meeting focused on continuing medical care for those wounded in the Kočani incident, using Serbian health institutions under an earlier initiative to refer patients for treatment.

The ministers and clinical leaders discussed a wider framework of cooperation between reference institutions in Serbia and hospitals in Skopje. Planned measures include referrals for high‑specialized treatment of complex cases, access to second opinions and joint expert consultations, and the creation of combined clinical teams for difficult cases.

Partnerships between Serbian reference centres and North Macedonian clinics were highlighted as a pathway to practical training: exchanges, specialist internships and mentorships aimed at strengthening local clinical capacity in Skopje.

Klekovski also held talks with the acting director of the University Clinical Center of Serbia, Prof. Dr. Jelena Drulović, on direct cooperation between UCCS and the university clinics in Skopje, including patient referrals, joint expert consultations and clinical stays for Macedonian teams.

The delegation toured the neurology clinic with particular attention to stroke care and the multiple sclerosis centre, assessing practices that could be shared through joint training programmes.

"The goal is not for our patients to travel further, but for knowledge to come closer. What today we seek abroad for complex cases, through joint teams, trainings and mentorship, tomorrow we should have at home," Klekovski said.

Photo: press material from the event