site.btaNorth Macedonia Honours Bulgarian Hospital for Treating Severely Injured Kocani Fire Victims

Medical staff at the Pirogov Emergency Hospital in Sofia have been awarded a certificate of appreciation by authorities in North Macedonia for the treatment of children and young people severely injured in the Kocani nightclub fire in March 2025, the hospital reported on its website on Monday. 

North Macedonia Ambassador to Bulgaria Agneza Rusi Popovska presented the certificate to Pirogov Hospital Director Valentin Dimitrov, who thanked her for the attention and recognition and stated that the hospital is always ready to provide highly specialized care to all patients in need.

During her visit to the hospital, Ambassador Popovska also met with medical staff from the Clinic of Burns and Plastic-Reconstructive Surgery, highlighting the contribution of the Pirogov teams to the survival and recovery of the children and young people hospitalized in the aftermath of the incident. The medical teams updated the diplomat on the current condition of the patients, who continue to visit Pirogov according to a scheduled programme.

On March 16, 2025, a fire at the Pulse nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia killed 63 people and injured 193, mostly youths. The fire was caused by sparks from indoor fireworks during a concert of Macedonian hip-hop duo DNK. Fourteen severely injured youths were transported to Bulgaria for treatment. Eight were admitted to Pirogov, while the others were treated in hospitals in Varna and Plovdiv. Following their admission, the Bulgarian Red Cross organized a blood donation campaign to support the victims, which involved nearly 1,000 donors from across Bulgaria. By mid-May 2025, the last of the eight patients admitted to Pirogov had been discharged.