With the help of the Kingdom of Norway, the capacity of Macedonian public health care has increased

As of today, the Public Health Care in North Macedonia has at its disposal additional 100 ventilators, a donation from the Directorate of Health of the Kingdom of Norway.

At today’s handover donation, Ministers Shekerinska and Filipche thanked the Defense Attaché of the Kingdom of Norway, Lieutenant Colonel Egil Daltveit for his outstanding commitment and for the fast and efficient organization of the donation.

“The epidemic has become a matter of survival, an existential theme that has united countries around the world, first in the race for the right medications, then in the race for vaccines, and in that race we are stronger and more secure because we can count on the help of our allies, our brothers and sisters. “What Norway has been doing in the last year shows how useful that alliance can be for us” the Minister said. She emphasized the role of the Norwegian Attaché Daltveit in mediating the assistance and expressed her gratitude for his efforts.

Shekerinska said that all the support so far – medical aid, the rapid tests and today’s 100 ventilators will not be forgotten and that the merit for this support goes to several exceptionally dedicated people who have strengthened the friendship between our nations and states. He added that there is a sincere interest between the two countries to further strengthen defense cooperation.

“I spoke with my colleague, the Norwegian Minister of Defense, this Monday that our experiences from our cooperation within the current mission in Kabul are excellent and that we want to plan future joint participation in other NATO operations, and I hope that the opportunity for high quality training that was given to our medical team in Norway will also be given to some of our other doctors and medical personnel in public health that will be part of our future NATO military medical capacities” the Minister said.

Minister Filipche said that these ventilators are a health care capacity that will have a wider application and will be used after the end of this crisis.

“These are ventilators that even after the end of this crisis can be an integral part of the equipment of the intensive care units, the ordinary hospital wards are now almost all, over 800, supplied with a central oxygen supply” Filipche said.

The Minister added that “this act of assistance is yet another proof that partnerships are worthwhile and recognized when most needed.”

“This is not the first aid from Norway, nor from the NATO system, nor from EU member states, nor from the United States – they all donated a lot during the crisis, from the very beginning, and that was one of the key factors in managing the crisis over the past period, and today as well. “This aid is the third in a row from Norway, we had a donation of personal protective equipment, there were rapid antigen tests for detecting the virus and now this very important aid for us that will seriously increase the quality of our health care,” the Minister said.

Lieutenant Colonel Daltveit said the 600,000-Euro ventilators donation was organized in just a few days. “There is excellent cooperation between the Armed Forces of North Macedonia and the Kingdom of Norway, which has been further intensified by NM’s NATO membership,” Daltveit said.

“Norway has had a close relationship with your country since its independence. But when you became our ally in NATO one year ago, our countries came closer than ever before. Most people will always help a friend if they can, but they will help their own brother first. Now you are our brothers. You have trusted Norway to command your men and women who now serve shoulder to shoulder with our men and women in Afghanistan. In NATO you have chosen to pledge that if we are attacked, you will help defend us, as we will help defend you” he said.

Daltveit emphasized that Norway as an ally wants to help save lives of Covid victims, whose loss he experienced personally after the death of our diplomat and his friend Dragan Todorovski, who deserves great merit for the close relations between the two countries.

The emergency ventilators will be used during the transport of patients, but also in the Covid centers across the country. These ventilators were designed at the beginning of the global pandemic at the initiative of the Norwegian Defense Research Institute, and are manufactured by Laerdal and Servi Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of hydraulics and pneumatics for medical equipment. The process of signing and organizing the donation was led by the Defense Attaché of the Kingdom of Norway, Lieutenant Colonel Egil Daltveit.