The Ombudsman of Serbia, Zoran Pasalic, has announced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the entry of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and journalists into the intensive care unit of the Clinical Center of Serbia (CCS). This action follows a request from students seeking to determine who authorized the access. The intensive care unit was accommodating patients injured in a fire in North Macedonia.

The students are specifically requesting that proceedings be initiated to determine responsibility, which could result in the dismissal of authorities at the University Clinical Center of Serbia and at the Emergency Center. They allege that the directors of these healthcare facilities permitted unauthorized entry and filming of patients in the intensive care unit, thereby violating their right to privacy and endangering their health.

Pasalic notes that while he cannot directly oversee the President of the State, the Ombudsman can appeal to the Ministry of Health, which has authority over the Clinical and Emergency Center.

Pasalic explained that his office would address the Ministry of Health to investigate and provide conclusions, because this is standard procedure when there is a case in the hospital that involves what is considered inadequate treatment.

Following a deadly disco fire that claimed over 60 lives, some of the critically injured victims were transferred to Belgrade for treatment. They received care in the intensive care unit of the Emergency Center of the University Clinical Center of Serbia (UCCS), where Vucic, accompanied by media teams, visited them on March 17.

The students are calling for the initiation of a procedure to determine responsibility and dismissal of the director of UCCS Jelena Drulovic, the director of the Emergency Center of UCCS Marko Ercegovac and the head of the intensive care unit in the Emergency Center of UCCS, Dusan Micic.

The students’ statement contends that these individuals violated hygiene protocols designed to protect patients from risk factors, potentially posing a serious threat to their health and lives.