This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
Anguish and Anger in Serbia ¶
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in Serbia, the country's healthcare system is facing unprecedented challenges. The government's handling of the crisis has sparked widespread outrage, with protests erupting in major cities across the country.
At the forefront of the protests is 31-year-old basketball coach, Djuric, whose father died of COVID-19 in late March. Djuric's father was hospitalized with a high fever and cough, but was told to wait for treatment, only to be transferred to a ward for respiratory assistance too late.
"I think the doctors did their best. But apparently the system does not work. My father told me the situation was catastrophic," Djuric said in an interview with AFP.
President Aleksandar Vucic responded to Djuric's story in a nationally televised address, calling it a "lie". However, protesters and frontline doctors disagree, accusing the government of manipulating data and lacking preparedness for the second wave of infections.
Officially, nearly 420 people have died in Serbia, but protesters accuse the authorities of covering up the true death toll. Members of a government crisis team have admitted that the actual death count is "almost certainly" higher due to patients who died without being tested.
Manipulated Data? ¶
Stana, a 50-year-old Belgrade native, believes her father-in-law falls into this category. She is convinced he died of the respiratory disease but was not counted in the official COVID-19 figures because he could not be tested in time.
Experiences like this have fueled the frustration of protests that started on July 7, several of which ended in violent clashes with police.
"We are fed up with the manipulation of COVID-19 figures," Danijela Ognjenovic, a 52-year-old protester, said. "No one trusts any information coming from the government at this point," added Branko Jovanovic, 44.
A System in Crisis ¶
President Vucic claims the country has "a health system that is better than that of nine European Union countries". However, some frontline doctors disagree, pointing to the country's deteriorating healthcare system and lack of preparedness for the second wave of infections.
Like other sectors, the medical industry has suffered from a huge exodus of young professionals moving abroad for better pay. A nurse earns on average 400 euros ($455) a month in Serbia, while a specialist doctor can make just over 800 euros, according to data from doctors' unions.
The country now lacks some 3,500 doctors and 8,000 nurses, according to the economic news portal novaekonomija.rs. A doctor working in one of Belgrade's dedicated COVID-19 wards believes initial health measures were dropped too early, allowing President Vucic to campaign on a victory against the virus ahead of the June 21 parliamentary elections.
