Doctors Union: Bulgaria Govt Dooms Health System to Death

The professional organization of doctors in Bulgaria has come out in support to hematologists who have decided to quit en masse over their meager salaries.

According to the Bulgarian Medical Association, such large-scale outflows are to be expected in the near future in other areas of medicine in Bulgaria, given dismal government policies in the area.

Blood transfusion professionals from Varna and Stara Zagora are right to protest their payment and seek more worthy work conditions elsewhere, according to a statement published by the Association Tuesday.

In addition, statement warned that the problem might have reprecursions all over Bulgaria's ailing health system and deal its final blow.

"The Bulgarian Medical Association has repeatedly warned that payment and conditions of work are about to kill a number of specialties and thus break down the whole profession," stated medics.

According to them, apart from blood transfusion specialists, especially vulnerable are anesthesiologists, pathologists, pediatricians, and emergency doctors.

"Instead of accusing medics that they are threatening Bulgaria's national security by quitting, the government needs to consider that it itself has been threatening for years now the national security with its health policies," said the Association.

In particular, doctors argued against salary-formation in some areas, such as blood transfusion units, where employees are considered civil servants that have much less flexible salaries than regular doctors.

The Bulgarian Medical Association personally accused Finance Minister Simeon Djankov of being responsible for these shortages of funding.

It urged more funds to be allotted for health in the state budget for 2013 currently under consideration in Parliament, so as to avoid future mass quittings of doctors.

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