By Krasimir Grudev, President of the National Association of Private Hospitals Bulgaria
The health situation in Bulgaria in 2023
In 2023, the normal functioning of the health care sector has gradually been restored after the end of the pandemic, although a number of people who have passed through the infection are suffering from the debilitating effects of the long COVID.
Unsolved problems in Bulgarian health care, however, remained. The most painful among them are shortage and imbalance in the distribution of health professionals and medical facilities on the territory of the country; disproportions in pricing and payment of hospital care by medical specialties; unreformed emergency medical care and outdated material base.
Against this background, there is still considerable progress in completing the digitisation of the health information system. During the year, priorities were given to the development of ambulatory care with the aim of redirecting part of hospital treatment to it, strengthening prevention, pediatric care, health education at school, and the creation of stroke centers. Reforms have been slow due to the continued political instability and high inflation rate in the country.
In the context of this situation, the main goals and objectives of the National Association of Private Hospitals in 2024 are:
- active participation in the process of fair pricing and payment of hospital medical activities;
- admission of the private initiative in the processes of restructuring and recovery of the hospital structures where needed, including by changing the legislation in this direction;
- ensuring accelerated and expanded “production” of insufficient medical specialists;
- counteraction to the restrictions for the development of hospital medical activities.
