Kumanovo council approves plan for 27 new hires at Zafir Sajto elderly home

The Municipal Council of Kumanovo approved the Home for the Elderly "Zafir Sajto" annual hiring plan for 2027, which envisages 27 new positions, mostly in care and medical assistance, with additional posts for professional, administrative and technical staff.

The document will be sent to the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, which will forward it to the Ministry of Finance to give final consent on the number of new hires.

Kinds of staff planned and the director's explanation

Director Aleksandar Krstevski outlined the proposed distribution: six caregivers, six nurses, five cleaners, two cooks and one server, and one each of a social worker, educator, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, accountant, lawyer and guard.

“These hirings are necessary for the uninterrupted functioning of the institution and the quality execution of all our activities. For 2027 increased obligations are expected, which is why it is necessary to ensure continuous health, social and institutional protection for our beneficiaries, as well as to raise the quality of living conditions in the home. The need for strengthening the professional services is particularly pronounced, which will allow us to provide 24-hour care for the beneficiaries and better organization of the work process. With the annual hiring plan we carry out staffing in accordance with the real needs of the institution. It will be of great importance if the ministry approves as many hirings as possible, because the home is open-type and that increases the responsibility regarding the safety of the beneficiaries,” Krstevski told the councillors.

Opposition councillors backed the plan and urged the responsible ministries to permit a larger number of hires, arguing that the institution is operating with roughly half of the required workforce.

The reporting on the home notes that only 30 employees are caring for about 180 elderly residents in the state home in Kumanovo, and that the Ministry of Finance has not approved new hirings for three years. At the same time, current figures show the home employs 33 staff on its payroll and seven additional workers engaged through the Agency for Temporary Employment. Accounting, legal services and cleaning are provided by private firms.

Instead of the planned 80 staff, roughly thirty people are working in the institution, which is insufficient for day-to-day care of about 180 users. For direct care there are just 13 caregivers and six nurses, arranged in three shifts; according to prescribed norms there should be one caregiver per ten users in every shift.

The Home for the Elderly "Zafir Sajto" marks 70 years of existence this year. It occupies 3,300 square metres of indoor space and an equivalent yard, and is one of the largest and oldest state homes in the country covering the Northeastern Region. Although much of the facility has been renovated, some wards remain in catastrophic condition. Residents come from all parts of the country and the home maintains a long waiting list for admission.

Photo: SDK.MK)