Following a retrial, two former directors of a COVID-19 hospital in Tetovo have been sentenced to prison for jeopardizing public safety in connection with a fire in 2021 that resulted in the deaths of 14 patients. In a first-instance ruling on Friday, the Tetovo court sentenced Florin Besimi and Artan Etemi, the former directors of the modular hospital, to 18 months in prison each. They were convicted of "serious crimes against public safety" for failing to equip the hospital with fire extinguishers. Additionally, the court held the legal entity PHI Clinical Hospital Tetovo accountable for creating a public danger and imposed a fine of 1 million denars, which is just over 16,000 euros.
On September 8, 2021, a fire swept through the COVID-19 modular hospital in Tetovo, resulting in the deaths of fourteen people and injuring a dozen more. The flames spread rapidly, catching patients by surprise and preventing them from escaping in time.
The court determined that Besimi, the hospital's medical director at the time, and Etemi, the financial and operational director, neglected their duty to procure and install fire extinguishers in the facility.
In their defense, the two argued that they were not legally required to do so, as the modular hospital, like other temporary structures established during the COVID-19 pandemic, fell under the direct oversight of the health ministry and other government agencies.
The defendants have the right to appeal the verdict from the first trial. This marks the second trial in this case. In June 2023, a court in Tetovo sentenced the two hospital directors to suspended prison terms for the same offense, and PHI Clinical Hospital Tetovo was also found guilty. However, the Court of Appeal in Gostivar annulled the entire first trial, leading to a retrial.
The two directors were not held accountable for the fire, which the investigation revealed was ignited by a faulty extension cord that overheated and caused a short circuit. Since the trial began, the victims' relatives have voiced their dissatisfaction with how the investigation and prosecution have been conducted. Their primary concern is that no one has been charged with causing the fire or with creating the conditions that allowed it to occur.
Nearly four years after the fire, no charges have been filed against any government officials from that period or against the private company that constructed the modular hospital. This decision comes as the parents of victims from a more recent tragedy—the March 16 Kocani nightclub fire that claimed the lives of 62 young people—continue to hold weekly marches in their hometown. They are calling for an end to what they perceive as systemic corruption that they believe has led to this and other recent disasters, as well as an end to selective justice and impunity.
