In Üsküp, emergency room nurses with 5 years of experience were replaced with two-month personnel

In the capital of Kuzey Makedonya, Üsküp, it was claimed that four nurses working at the Emergency Medical Aid Center (İMP) since 2021 were lowered in the ranking they deserved during the permanent hiring process at the Women, Maternity and Hospital Homes Health Institution (ZZS). The nurses in question stated that they worked for years under the most difficult conditions, including the Kovit-19 pandemic, and expressed that their positions were filled by individuals working in polyclinics or with only two months of experience in the emergency room.

Üsküp Health Institution Director Samir Iseni, who is at the center of the incident, argued that hirings are no longer at his own initiative and are made by a commission based on a scoring system. However, the victimized nurses claim that the ranking list was irregularly changed and the positions were given to less experienced candidates.

Four nurses protesting the controversial practice are preparing to take the non-meritocratic scoring system underlying the canceled decision to court. The nurses, stating that they were forced to work for years without signing an official contract, are fighting a legal battle to get the permanent position they deserve.