COVID-19 Crisis Headquarters (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)
Infectologist Dragan Delic believes that Serbia’s COVID-19 Crisis Headquarters has once again poorly timed the adoption of new preventive measures and that the country is seeing an attempt to strike a balance between the national economy and citizens’ health.
“It’s obvious that a compromise between the economy and health is still being made, which is for me, as a doctor of medicine, ethically speaking – unacceptable,” Delic, a former Infectious and Tropical Diseases Clinic director, said for the Feb. 25 issue of the Danas daily.
According to him “the Hippocratic Oath doesn’t mention cafes, restaurants, or betting shops, but patients, doctors and their relationship.” “The care for the economy, the shop-owners and caterers, should not be a part of [a country’s] health policy,” he added.
“The attitude of the Crisis Headquarters’, which has a political aspect in addition to the expertise, is unnatural. A more natural response to this kind of situation would be to follow the letter of the law and activate the National Expert Commission for Infectious Disease Prevention that along the Batut Public Health Institute and the Ministry of Health would manage the epidemic,” Delic explained.
To get full access to all content of interest see our
Subscription offer
Or
Register for free
And read up to 5 articles each month.
Already have an account? Please Log in.