Bitola is getting something it has long lacked - a real medical faculty. Parliament unanimously passed a law turning the Higher Medical School at the "St. Kliment Ohridski" University into a Faculty of Medical Sciences and Health. The vote passed without a single vote against, a rarity for a divided political scene.

Specifically, instead of the existing three-year model, the faculty will offer four-year programs in nursing, midwifery, and medical biochemistry, as well as three-year specialist programs. The new law repeals the previous one from 2024, and the first generation of students is expected to enroll in the 2027/2028 academic year.

For UKLO this is an institutional step forward, and for the profession - recognition that was overdue. The university described the moment as "historic for the development of nursing and midwifery." When a profession has been underrated for decades as merely supportive, raising it to faculty level brings both dignity and the chance for students not to have to travel to Skopje for a quality education.

The question that remains is the one every good decision on paper carries: will the staff, equipment, and funding follow the law, or will the faculty remain a ceremonial announcement with empty labs? A unanimously passed law is a good start - but starts here often end up being the finish too. Bitola deserves it to be different this time.