Two members of Sofia's Pirogov emergency hospital board of directors resigned on Friday, as the conflict between the hospital's staff and the healthcare ministry continues escalating.

Dimitar Radenovski and Ognyan Hadzhijski told the protesters they would tender their resignations to Healthcare Minister Radoslav Gaydarski.

The staff asked Gaydarski on Thursday to sack the five-man board for impeding their strike efforts, but the minister has backed the directors to stay on

The hospital's 2,000-strong staff went on strike for the first time on May 18 and threatened to go on effective strike if their demands are not being satisfied.

The protesters are demanding wages of BGN 1,600 for doctors, BGN 800 for nurses and BGN 400 for paramedics, as well as new equipment and a change in the status of the hospital, which would allow it to receive state subsidies.

Their pleas have remained unanswered so far although the doctors blocked the traffic on one of Sofia's chief thoroughfares for half an hour every morning for three days in a row last week.

Pirogov is Sofia's main emergency hospital and the biggest in Bulgaria, and is the main destination for patients in critical condition from the entire country.

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