Head of Emergency Situations Sector and Crisis HQ member Pedrag Maric passes away from coronavirus

Photo: Marko Jovanovic

Long-time head of the Sector for Emergency Situations and Assistant Minister of the Interior Predrag Maric, who was confirmed as having coronavirus in December, has lost the battle with this disease last night, Telegraf.rs has learned.

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As we found out, after a few days of stabilized health, his clinical picture worsened in the last three or four days, which is why he had to be resuscitated several times on Friday and Saturday.

Maric was diagnosed with coronavirus on December 28. Apart from fever, he did not have any problems, but he was still referred to a scanner where initial pneumonia was diagnosed.

He was not admitted to the hospital at that time.

However, according to our sources, the high temperature was breaking him. After a few days, his condition demanded hospitalization, so he was admitted to the Clinical Hospital Center "Dr Dragisa Misovic" on January 3.

Five days after he was hospitalized at this healthcare institution, on January 8, Maric was intubated and connected to a ventilator.

In the meantime, the doctors discovered that he had a blood clot, for which he was supposed to have surgery, but they waited for his condition to stabilize.

Maric was also a member of the Crisis HQ for the fight against coronavirus.

As we have already reported, he was about to retire.

The first firefighter of Serbia, who was the most trusted in a trouble and during natural disasters, submitted a request for retirement at the beginning of November last year, although his mandate as an assistant minister expires in May 2022.

He fulfilled the condition for retirement last year, and the request was his personal and professional decision.

Maric is the only senior police official whose position has not been questioned for almost 15 years. He was appointed as head of the Sector for Emergency Situations in 2007 by then Minister Dragan Jocic, whose assistant he was. He held the same position during the time of Ivica Dacic, as well as Nebojsa Stefanovic.

He graduated as a lawyer and joined the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) in 1990. He started his career in the Directorate for Fire and Technical Protection. He became the chief of the Department for Inspection Supervision in the Firefighting Police Administration in 2003, the deputy chief in the Administration in 2004, and the chief in 2005. In that period, along with Maric, all firefighters received career recognition by the formation of their separate Sector in the Ministry of the Interior, in 2007.

He was the recipient of numerous national and international recognitions and awards.

(Telegraf.rs)