Reaction of the Platform for Gender Equality: There must be a ban on practicing medicine for the gynecologist Asani

The suspended sentence for the Struga gynecologist who worked "on the black" for years shows that the health of women in the country is not worth even "five pennies".
All competent institutions and the Medical Chamber are accomplices.

The Platform for Gender Equality is appalled by the verdict of the Basic Court of Struga, which imposed a suspended sentence on gynecologist Muhammad Asani, who in the period from 2015 to 2020 illegally provided gynecological services in an unregistered practice in his house. In addition, the fact that the Court with this judgment did not impose a ban on the performance of a profession, activity or duty, although that possibility is foreseen by the Criminal Code, is striking.

Despite the findings of the State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate, which carried out extraordinary surveillance of the office two years ago, after which it filed a criminal complaint, and the strong reactions of civil society organizations, the Medical Chamber has not revoked the gynecologist's work license to this day. among whose patients is Yeldz Veaposka. As a reminder, the gynecologist Asani illegally managed her pregnancy in his home office, and during the delivery in the Struga hospital, recorded in the official documentation as a standard operation, he removed her uterus, kidney and ovary.

Hence, we state with great revolt that in this way, both the Court and the Medical Chamber stand in defense of the illegal health practice in the country. By making the punishment of illegal activity conditional on waiting for a further crime to occur, they not only perpetuate a culture of impunity but also unequivocally support the systemic neglect of women's health – instead of lionizing it.

Access to illegal health services always brings a huge risk to people's health, which is confirmed by the case of Veaposka, for which Asani is also criminally charged.

Hence, the Gender Equality Platform calls for:

If an appeal is filed after the first-instance verdict passed in this way and the matter is given to the Second-instance Court for resolution, the latter must impose an additional measure prohibiting the exercise of a profession, activity or duty, for the longest duration provided for in the Criminal Code;

The basic public prosecutor's office should file a complaint and request a harsher sentence (effective imprisonment);

If the first-instance verdict passed in this way is final, in the procedure in which the gynecologist Muhammed Asani is accused of removing three organs from Yeldz Veaposka during the caesarean section, and whose next hearing is scheduled for March 10, in addition to the main sentence, it must be imposed and a measure prohibiting the exercise of a profession, activity or duty;

The medical chamber should dare and after yesterday's verdict to finally revoke the gynecologist's license to work;

The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the competent inspectorates and institutions, should immediately go out into the field and proactively get involved in discovering and stopping illegal practices and initiating procedures against doctors who work "on the black".

Women's health must be a top priority for all institutions and the Medical Chamber: therefore, cases of illegal practices that are potential "butchers" must not be repeated in the future!