Author: Nertila Ivanovski

The European Federation of Critical Care Nursing Associations (EfCCNa) is a nonprofit organization established in 1999, unifying 35 national associations from 26 European countries, with more than 30,000 members.
Its mission is to promote cooperation among nurses in Europe with a view of improving the care for critically ill patients and their families, as well as developing a common European clinical practice, education, and scientific research.

Since 2014, nurse Zhaneta Bogoevska Miteva has been representing the Macedonian Critical Care Nursing Association in EfCCNa, and for the last three years she has been actively participating in the Management board of ESNO – the European Specialist Nurses Organization.

The fall meeting of the federation was held this weekend (10-12 October) in London, where, among other things, a new president was elected, as well as board members with congressional responsibilities.
It is with great honor and privilege that we announce the election of Nurse Zhaneta Miteva as the new President of the EfCCNa!

“I was deeply honored and delighted to have been nominated and elected president. A great deed of gratitude to all the representatives in EfCCNa, my colleagues from ZMC, my family, and especially Dr. Zhan Mitrev, who supported be unreservedly throughout all these years “
– said nurse Zhaneta B. Miteva.

Nurse Zhaneta has been a part of the ZMC clinic for 24 years, with a great deal of experience in intensive care and anesthesia – since the very beginning of the clinic.
During her career she has actively participated in the internal and continuous education of the medical staff, always with commitment, dedication, and professionalism.

Congratulations Zhaneta! With pride and dedication, you represent Macedonia and our clinic on the European stage!

The Zan Mitrev Clinic Mother and Baby Center marks one year of successful work, filled with joy, dedication, and hundreds of happy moments. During its first year, this modern center for delivery and neonatal care helped deliver 167 babies and created 167 new families. 

In the past twelve months the Center experienced many emotional stories – starting from the smallest baby, weighing only 1270 grams, to the largest baby delivered spontaneously with 4630 grams. Each of these stories proves that when knowledge, experience and technology unite, they create the most beautiful thing, new life. 

“We created a birth center that focusing on the mother and the baby – providing safety, comfort, and warmth that any family deserves. Our vision is that each delivery should be a pleasant experience, free of fear, and uncertainty, filled with confidence, professionalism and care. During this year we proved that Macedonia can indeed develop obstetrics according to the highest global standards – with state-of-the-art medical technology, a team of experienced specialists and approach that merges science and humanity”, said the Medical Director, Dr. Emil Stoicovski.

The Mother and Baby Center is built on an area of over 800 square meters, and it is equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology. It has two delivery rooms, an operating theatre, recovery rooms, neonatology and gynecology offices as well as comfortable suits which provide privacy and comfort in the postpartum period. The areas of operation of the Center include all three trimesters of the pregnancy, performing diagnostic investigations, HSG laboratory, genetic investigations such as amniocentesis, chorion biopsy, ultrasound and non-invasive prenatal tests. The team comprising gynecologists-obstetricians, neonatologists, anesthesiologists, midwives and nurses provides complete care before, during and after childbirth, available 24 hours a day.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the Center provides treatment and care for prematurely born and risky newborns. One of the most significant moments in the past year was the birth of triplets, born in the 31^st gestation week. This rare natural phenomenon affirmed the high expertise and preparedness of the medical team but also symbolizes compassion and dedication to each and every newborn.

The Center offers a complete spectrum of services for mothers and babies – monitoring of the pregnancy, diagnostic and genetic investigations, non-invasive prenatal tests, postpartum care and counselling. Special attention is paid to the individual approach where the gynecologist that has managed the pregnancy is present at the delivery, providing confidence and continuity at the most important moment.

After only one year, the Mother and Baby Center has positioned itself as a leading delivery and neonatology center in the country which continuously proves that the success is measured by the most beautiful unit – new life.

The international walking football competition took place between the “Wild Hogs” team of the Zan Mitrev Clinic and the Croatian club of “Mladi Starci” from Zagreb in front of the Croatian diplomatic corps, the delegation from the “Sijede Vrijede” association, an authorized representative of the Croatian Football Federation for promotion of this sport and the audience. Both teams played an inspirational game which once again affirmed the power of sport to unite. The game ended in the spirit of fair play with a tied result of 2 : 2. Thus, greatest winner was walking football itself, a new sport that has become ever more visible and increasingly supported in Macedonia as well.
The event was organized by the Zan Mitrev Clinic, the founder of this sport in our country. Through this project, the Clinic confirms that medicine and sports can work together towards common goals of promoting healthcare, physical activities, and inclusiveness. With this game, Macedonia and Croatia once again demonstrated that sports is the best bridge for friendship and cooperation, and walking football is the new symbol of health and community.
In addition, Zan Mitrev Clinic organized a broad auditorium about the environment and conditions for the development of this sport that grows and spreads very quickly throughout the world. The event involved exchanging of opinions, experiences and set the foundations for a more serious further development of this sport which has a truly great potential in Macedonia considering that this is a sport of elderly people and people that wish to “age healthily”.
Walking football represents a sports revolution: a game without running, focusing of walking, recreation, teamwork, and socialization. This makes it an ideal choice for elderly people, rehabilitating patients, chronically ill patients, diabetic patients, people with disabilities and anyone wishing to lead an active and healthy lifestyle.
The team of the Zan Mitrev Clinic “Wild Hogs” regularly participates in international tournaments, representing Macedonia in this sport as the founder, an advocate for development, and a promoter of something that widely expands throughout Europe and in the World, creating national leagues and federations.
With the support of FIFA and UEFA, this sport experiences global growth and is recognized as a healthy, beneficial and safe alternative to traditional football. Through such international competitions, Zan Mitrev Clinic strengthens its mission to create a movement that will spread the culture of sports and healthy lifestyle in Macedonia and throughout the region.

Zan Mitrev Clinic’s walking football team achieved a significant success at the international walking football tournament held from 11 to 13 July on the Ferencvárosi field in Budapest, Hungary. A total of 16 teams from Hungary, Italy, Austria, Israel, England, and Macedonia took part in the tournament in categories over 50 and over 60 years of age, and the matches were organized under the auspices of the Hungarian Federation.

In a strong competition with renowned teams, such as AC Roma from Rome, the Zan Mitrev Clinic’s team was placed on the high 8^th place, scoring many goals and making a strong impression as an excellent representative of the Republic of Macedonia. This success is especially important considering that walking football is a sport that is expanding in Europe and in the world, and in some of the participating countries it is on a significantly higher level of development.

In addition to the sport results, the Zan Mitrev Clinic’s team is an active forerunner of the initiative for development and officializing of walking football in Macedonia. We expect that by the end of this year, our county, led by this team, will become a full member of the International Walking Football Federation. That will facilitate the more serious development of this sport in Macedonia which brings health and social benefits for the persons of advanced age who will feel active and full of energy.

According to the team’s plan, the national “Macedonian League” is expected to start forming  as early as September with several domestic teams.  This will be a new page in the country’s sport history. Additionally, during the next year, Zan Mitrev Clinic plans to organize a large international tournament, “Walking Football Tournament – Macedonia Open 2026”, with participation of teams from several European countries. This event will position Macedonia not only as a sports center, but also as a hospitable destination for sport, socializing, and positive energy.

The Zan Mitrev Clinic’s team remains dedicated to the mission to lead the culture of healthy and active lifestyle by bringing a new sport onto the Macedonian scene and representing the country in the best possible way in the European and world competitions.

The Zan Mitrev Clinic’s tram continues to actively and diligently promote Macedonia a healthy lifestyle by actively participating in international tournaments in Walking Football, a sport that is ever more expanding throughout the world.

After the successful participation in the international tournament held on the Island of Vis, Croatia, where the team competed with teams from Croatia, Austria and Hungary, Zan Mitrev Clinic ‘s team will take part in yet another big tournament. This time, the team will participate in the Walking Foodball international tournament to be held in Budapest on 11^th, 12^th, and 13^th July 2025.

Eight teams from six countries – Hungary, Austria, England, Israel, Italy and Macedonia – will participate in the tournament in Budapest. The competition will be organized into two age categories – teams over 50 and teams over 60 years of age. The Zan Mitrev Clinic’s team will compete in the over 50 categories in the group with Hungary, England and Italy. There will be three matches against each of the teams in the group as well as additional elimination matches.

Walking Football is more than a sport – it is another opportunity for people of all ages to remain physically active, socialize and take care of their health. The rules of this sport prohibit running, the players walk and the focus is on recreation, team play and socialization. This makes it an ideal choice for older people, rehabilitation patients, chronic patients, diabetic patients, disabled people, as well as anyone else that would like to lead an active and a healthy lifestyle.

The Zan Mitrev Clinic, as the founder of Walking Football in Macedonia continues its mission to spread this sport and announces the organization of a large international tournament in our country in the near future. The Clinic has a clear vision to create a movement to foster sport, health and active lifestyle irrespective of age in order to make Walking Football available to the broader public and stimulate the building of a community that will have a healthy and an active lifestyle.

The Doctor’s Chamber celebrated its 33rd anniversary as an independent professional organization of doctors in our country and awarded letters of acknowledgement to all the doctors who exhibited exceptional professionalism, selflessness and humanity and participated in the rescue and the treatment of the people injured by the fire in the discotheque in Kochani.
The team from our clinic, led by Dr. Zan Mitrev, also received letters of acknowledgment for the exceptional engagement during the treatment of the victims treated in our clinic.
“Doctors are not just doctors, they are also researchers, innovators, educators, they bring hope and support to each and every patient. Their commitment to the life and the health of the individual is cornerstone of public health and social stability. Doctors drive medical progress, constantly seeking new solutions and therapies to improve the quality of life. The promotion of their status through the provision of better working conditions, continuous education and economic strengthening is not only a matter of being fair to them, rather it is also an investment in the future of society as a whole” – said the president of the Doctor’s Chamber Dr. Kalina Grivcheva – Stardelova when she awarded the acknowledgement letters.
This is a small gesture to acknowledge a huge feat, as well as a sincere act of gratitude to their impeccable dedication to the life and health of people.
The Doctor’s Chamber was formed in the 5th of June 1992 on several doctors from the Macedonian Medical Association. The first constituent session was held in the premises of the Army Hospital. Ten years later the Chamber obtained public authorizations to issue licenses, organize and administer the professional examination and accredit continuous medical education events, which established a very important system of regulating the medical profession which directly brings us closer to the European Standards.

Three prematurely born babies – Melis, Mira and Malahat, from a naturally conceived pregnancy were brought into the world in the Zan Mitrev Clinic on the 4th of June 2025, a true rarity in contemporary medicine. The babies were delivered with a cesarean section 9 weeks before their expected due date, in the 31st week of gestation. The newborns are currently stable and cared for in the Mother and Baby Center under the supervision of the neonatologists. They receive noninvasive respiratory support (CPAP). Their vital parameters are stable, and the medical teams carefully monitor them hoping for a quick recovery and discharge.
With this delivery, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the Zan Mitrev Clinic officially started to work.

The first newborn, Melis weighs 1390 grams and is 42cm long. The second baby, Mira weighs 1270 grams and is 36cm long. The third prematurely born baby, Malahat, weighs 1340 grams and is 40cm long. The pregnancy developed naturally, without medically assisted fertilization, from three fertilized eggs. The entire process of monitoring, managing and delivery was performed by a multidisciplinary team comprising top obstetrician-gynecologists, neonatologists, midwives and neonatology nurses utilizing the state-of-the-art equipment and protocols.

Prenatal care began on the 11th week of gestation and was managed by prim. Dr. Ljupcho Petrovski, Dr. Jelena Golubvikj Simjanovski and Dr. Nenad Lazarov. During hospitalization, the patient was monitored by Dr. Vladimir Kizheski. The cesarian delivery was performed by Dr. Mendu Jegeni in cooperation with Dr. Kizheski, Dr. Sasha Jovchevski. Dr. Golubovikj Simjanovski and the anesthesiologists Dr. Marko Gjorgon and Dr. Sanja Marinkovikj. The babies were immediately taken over by three pediatrics teams under leadership of Dr. Renata Dimitroska – neonatology subspecialist, together with the pediatricians Dr. Vesna Delovska, Dr. Maja Angelevska Viktorijoski, Dr. Katerina Dimovska and Dr. Milena Spirkovska.
“Their coming into the world brought us tremendous joy but it also confirmed to us when knowledge, experience and modern technology come together we can overcome even the greatest challenges. Melis, Mira, and Malahat are our little heroes”, said the team from the Mother and Baby Center.

Within the past three decades, the rate of multiple pregnancies has increased by 70% and naturally conceived triple pregnancies, such as this one, are a true rarity and occur once in 8000 cases internationally. This deliverance represents not only a medical success, but also a symbol of hope, life, and humanity. We wish their mother Mrs. Mubedjel Bekteshova from Skopje, quick recovery and we wish Melis, Mira and Malahat a life filled with love, health and strength.