A draft of a national plan for brain health was the focus of a roundtable discussion titled “National Plan for Brain Health – Strategic Framework and Expert Solutions.” The event was organized by the Brain Health Council in partnership with the Bulgarian Medical Association and the Sofia Medical University.
One in three Europeans suffers from a disease or condition related to impaired brain or nervous system function, said Prof. Nikolay Gabrovski, founder of the Brain Health Council. Speaking to journalists, he emphasized that “there is no health without brain health,” underlining the serious financial dimensions of the problem.
The plan sets clear priorities across neurology, psychiatry, and neurosurgery for the next five years, including public awareness, patient access to health care, scientific development, and international cooperation. According to Prof. Gabrovski, the implementation costs range between BGN 50 and BGN 200 million annually, depending on the scope of the program. However, further discussions with the Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) are needed to determine what can be realistically funded.
The draft plan includes the creation of two types of healthcare facilities and Prof. Gabrovski explained that instead of closing hospitals, a transformation model could be applied.
The first type are rehabilitation and recovery hospitals for patients who have undergone surgery or completed acute treatment but still require specialized recovery and care. The second type are long-term care facilities designed for patients with lasting impairments, including those in vegetative state, with severe strokes, brain trauma, cognitive dysfunctions, dementia, and more.
Currently, the burden of care for such patients falls heavily on families, which often leads to their isolation from social life, Prof. Gabrovski added.
The goal of the plan is a comprehensive approach: prevention, accurate diagnosis, integrated treatment, and successful reintegration of patients into society, he added.
One pressing issue is the lack of a clinical pathway for financing the treatment of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) by the National Health Insurance Fund, said Acad. Ivan Milanov, President of the Bulgarian Neurological Society. He expressed hope that such a pathway would be developed and adopted soon. It would allow better statistical distinction between strokes and TIAs—an important step, given that Bulgaria is frequently cited among the top countries in stroke incidence.
He also noted that some neurological diseases are still missing from the list of conditions for which the NHIF reimburses medication.
Prof. Dimitar Maslarov, co-founder of the Brain Health Council and head of the Neurology Clinic at the St. John the Baptist University Hospital in Sofia, said that ischemic strokes could be reduced by 20% over the next decade with improved care and prevention. Since January 2025 alone, 36,000 strokes have been reported, affecting about 32,000 unique patients—a sign that recurrence is common. That is a strong evidence of a need for ongoing patient care even after the first incident.
Prof. Georgi Onchev, Vice President of the Bulgarian Psychiatric Association, stated that the association’s proposals span nearly all mental disorders, with a strong emphasis on finding long-awaited biomarkers for primary psychiatric illnesses. This would mark a major step forward in psychiatric research and diagnosis.
At the opening of the discussion, Health Minister Silvi Kirilov emphasized the importance of creating a sustainable framework for brain health in Bulgaria. “It is important to recognize the need for coordinated action—with all relevant institutions—to create a sustainable framework for brain health. I am confident that today’s decisions will become tomorrow’s real actions,” he added. Medics Discuss Draft of Bulgaria’s National Brain Health Plan THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-10-20 15:57:28 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law