Balgarianovinite.com In an interview for Bulgarian National Radio aired on Sunday, Health Minister Katya Ivkova said that it is realistic to expect that the healthcare quality assessment system will be adopted by the end of this year. While her Ministry is ready, it needs to consult with the medical community to conduct an objective assessment of the quality of medical care and, subsequently, to take action against any healthcare facilities that have offered substandard medical care.
Ivkova commented on the percentage of out-of-pocket payments by patients, as there have been numerous reports and analyses from the World Bank and the European Commission indicating that out-of-pocket payments in Bulgaria exceed 40% against a European average of 17 to 18%. She said: “Specific actions will need to be taken in this regard in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Fund, because it is precisely this high copayment by patients that fuels mistrust in the entire healthcare system.”
The Minister added that greater transparency is necessary when it comes to additional payments made outside the scope of mandatory health insurance, so that the public have more information and know what they are entitled to both within and outside the health insurance package.
Commenting on Continue the Change (CC) Floor Leader Nikolay Denkov demanding her resignation, Ivkova said she is unclear on whether Denkov personally requested that she resign or whether he did so on behalf of his party. She said that this request could be interpreted as “some kind of destabilization” and pointed out to September 2023, when Denkov was prime minister. She said: “In September 2023, the Proton Centre – an investment under the Recovery and Resilience Plan – was removed from the budget precisely during the administration of Academician Denkov as prime minister. This proton centre was intended to provide more precise therapy for children with cancer, as well as for adults. At the time, the rationale for removing the Proton Centre from the Recovery and Resilience Plan was that it would not be possible to complete the project between 2023 and August 2026, and for this reason it was removed from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, with a commitment made to have it built it using national funding.” She concluded: “When we raise questions or call for resignations, let us at least remember who did or did not do what within the healthcare system, and who contributed what, and to what effect.”
Regarding the opening of new private hospitals, Ivkova said that the establishment of new medical facilities should be based on actual needs, rather than on a national health map that was drafted in 2018 and has not been updated since then.
Commenting on the government’s work during its first 100 days in office, the Minister said: “Despite the short timeframe, we managed to make the payments for investments in the Recovery and Resilience Plan.” She added: “We also managed to accelerate the implementation of the Emergency Medical Services project, which has been underway for 10 years. We launched several legislative initiatives. Two of them relate to infringement procedures initiated by the European Commission in previous years. We also succeeded in drafting a bill for the Medicinal Products in Human Medicine Act, which includes a change to the formula. In fact, we require 100% traceability of the availability of medicinal products on the market in Bulgaria and traceability of every pack.”
Another contribution that Ivkova pointed out was backing a bill on centralized procurement of medicines, medical equipment, and medical devices, as this was also linked to a long-running infringement procedure initiated against Bulgaria.
Healthcare Quality Assessment System to Be Adopted by Year-End 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-06 13:21:00
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