By: C. R.
Jelko Kacin, the official spokesperson for Janez Janša’s government on the COVID-19 epidemic, is not holding back criticism of the work of experts, the healthcare system, and the ministry five years later. In the Ob 8h programme on Radio Slovenia, he particularly highlighted the poor responsiveness of the involved systems. Regarding communication, he still insists today that people need to be told the harsh truth.
During a discussion marking the fifth anniversary of the COVID-19 epidemic declaration in Slovenia, Kacin accused Marjan Šarec’s government of doing “unacceptable things in its final days,” including refusing to involve the then-opposition in crisis management.
“There were situations where it was necessary to bring in everyone who could help, including the media, because without them, the situation was unmanageable. Above all, it was crucial to wake up the experts and the healthcare system, as even the Ministry of Health struggled with a lack of operational efficiency throughout the pandemic,” he criticised.
According to him, the ministry at the time assessed that Slovenia did not need as many vaccines as it actually did. “I was present when the Prime Minister told the responsible person at the ministry: ‘Find the vaccines, do not ask about the price, order everything they can deliver within two months.’ They ordered nothing, and later, the narrative became that the government did not want to buy additional vaccines,” he recalled.
He added that Slovenians tend to believe they are the smartest in the world, which was also problematic when trying to enforce measures among media editors and journalists, even though agreements had been reached at the level of chief editors and directors.
Regarding his strong statements at the time, including the widely discussed remark Enjoy while you can, he said that in those circumstances, it seemed highly inappropriate to sugarcoat the situation. “People simply need to face the truth, no matter how painful it may be,” he believes.
He was also harshly critical of the unresponsiveness of the expert community. “Zvezda was the chief epidemiologist, who would disappear for 14 days at a time, not answering his director or anyone else. He drove off in a camper van to one of the Mediterranean islands, leaving us to deal with COVID without expert guidance,” he said.
Moreover, he pointed out that experts were overly cautious, and there were many different expert opinions, while an interdisciplinary approach was necessary for COVID-19. Therefore, they formed a team of people who could respond in real time. In this regard, he praised the responsiveness of the infectious disease clinic, “whereas the so-called expert community, led by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), before its leadership was replaced, was simply lost, lacked operational response,” and consistently hid behind the excuse of insufficient information.
“The work of all experts at NIJZ during the COVID-19 epidemic was always professional, responsible, and extensive,” the institute responded to Kacin’s statements in a statement to the STA.
Additionally, they were unable “to find a single person within the so-called medical profession willing to sign a document mandating the wearing of masks”. Therefore, they involved young doctors in awareness-raising efforts, Kacin said.
He also mentioned organisational issues in healthcare. “When the tragic death of a young girl occurred in Ljubljana, we discovered that her vaccination had never been recorded in the system.” Even after her death, it was still unregistered and had to be entered retroactively, he revealed.
Kacin also criticised the current communication regarding the deteriorating security situation in Europe. “I blame the current Prime Minister for still sugarcoating things and not telling the public how drastically the situation has worsened and how urgently action is needed,” he said, adding that new facts must be acknowledged and timely action taken.