Skopje, 3 April 2023 (MIA) — The six-year-old girl who died in the Bitola Clinical Hospital had had Covid-19 six months ago and her blood labs showed heart damage, according to the Ministry of Health's Expert Oversight Committee, which found no evidence of medical malpractice in her case. 

"The patient's personal medical history provided information of her having been infected with covid six months ago," the Ministry of Health said in a press release on Monday. 

"The laboratory results indicated muscular inflammation due to elevated creatine kinase levels and elevated creatine kinase MB levels as part of a viral infection that also spread to the heart muscle, increasing cardiac troponin enzyme levels," the release says.

When the six-year-old's health sharply deteriorated, the release adds, the Bitola medical staff took the necessary steps according to evidence-based medicine and the patient's clinical picture.

The detailed Expert Oversight Committee report will be forwarded to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the release adds.

According to media reports, Jana Hristovska died on March 22 in the Bitola Clinical Hospital just a few hours after she was admitted for eyelid swelling, sore throat, leg cramps and vomiting. In their initial statements to the press, her parents voiced suspicions of medical malpractice.

A week later, protesters in Bitola gathered to demand justice for her death. "We can't bring Jana back, but we want to prevent other children from having the fate of our dearly departed Jana" was the message of their protest during which they demanded health care reforms and resignations. mr/