Health Minister Sasho Klekovski visited the St. Panteleimon University Dental Clinical Center in Skopje today, where more than 40 million denars has been invested in 2025 and 2026 in modern equipment and better conditions for patients and staff.
According to the Ministry of Health, a significant part of the work has focused on the general anesthesia treatment room. It has been fully renovated and equipped with additional devices. There, specialists treat people with disabilities, children who cannot cooperate during treatment, and patients with severe dentophobia, or an intense fear of dental treatment.
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Klekovski described the amount invested over the two years as a significant contribution to public dental care. He said the improvements were made possible by support from the Ministry of Health and the Health Insurance Fund, as well as the work of the clinic’s management. He said the use of funds for their intended purposes was evident in better-equipped treatment rooms and improved conditions for patients and staff.
The minister stressed that the public dental sector must remain strong, even though some services are provided by private healthcare institutions. He noted that St. Panteleimon is a tertiary healthcare institution where future dentists are educated and trained.
Turning to the general anesthesia treatment room, Klekovski explained that, for a child with disabilities, even a simple dental procedure can often be performed only under general anesthesia. This requires a safe environment, suitable equipment and a professionally trained team, he said, all of which are now available at the clinic.
According to the minister, this shows that investments directed where they are needed can solve significant problems even when financial resources are relatively limited. He added that families travel from all parts of the country for this treatment, so the next step should be to decentralize the service and bring it closer to patients.
The director of the St. Panteleimon University Dental Clinical Center, Prof. Dr. Julijana Nikollovska, said patients’ needs guide every procurement process. She said the visible changes had been achieved in just a year and a half, thanks to support from the Ministry of Health and the Health Insurance Fund, careful management and internal savings.
Nikollovska singled out the general anesthesia treatment room, which she said is the only one of its kind in the country at the tertiary level of healthcare. The clinic’s goal, she said, is to ensure that every patient has access to safe and dignified dental care.
