Bulgarian MP appeals to Council of Europe over medical treatment denial

Bulgarian MP Denitsa Sacheva has appealed to Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, regarding the humanitarian case of Iva Mihaylova. Mihaylova, a 23-year-old dual Bulgarian and North Macedonian citizen, has been prevented by North Macedonian authorities from seeking essential medical treatment abroad for ten months following a severe road accident.

Medical experts, including a council from the Mother Teresa University Clinic in Skopje, have confirmed that the specialized surgery required to prevent irreversible damage cannot be performed in North Macedonia. While specialists in both Bulgaria and North Macedonia recommend treatment in Bulgaria, Turkey, or Israel, two judicial instances in North Macedonia have denied her permission to leave the country for medical purposes.

Sacheva, a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, is urging an immediate investigation and calling on North Macedonian authorities to reconsider their refusal to allow Mihaylova to access necessary foreign medical care.