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Bulgaria's GP Association protests about extended delays in healthcare payments and reforms, with some members threatening to strike on March 9. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's National Association of General Practitioners are losing patience with constantly delayed funding and reforms, and some are threatening to go on strike.
The Association has addressed an open letter to all Bulgarian institutions and citizens with health insurance, in which they state that "the cup of patience is down to the last dregs".
They have firmly stated that they do not want to constantly appeal to someone to receive the necessary treatment as patients and remuneration for their work as doctors. Nor do they accept that reform can be considered equal to saving money from the health of the people.
The GPs further claim that, for the fourth month in a row, their association has been waiting for answers to questions they have raised about delayed payments of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and revisions to the Ordinance on Prophylactics.
The consequence of these delays is that Bulgarians over 18 will be denied comprehensive and operating screening for socially significant diseases, the medics claim.
The Sofia chapter of the association has threatened to stop work from March 9, if they are not paid the sums the NHIF owes them immediately, along with interest due for work done and reported for January.
In their opinion, there is a gross breach of Bulgarian laws and the contractual relations between the fund and the providers of medical aid, as well as of their constitutional right to work and payment.
Overdue payments to hospitals stand at over BGN 70 M, another BGN 10-12 M are owed to specialists and GPs, as well as BGN 6 M for medical diagnostics, Tsvetan Raichinov, President of the Bulgarian Medical Association, stated.
The leadership of the Association met with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, to air their grievances.
They later expressed their general satisfaction with the meeting, noting that they were seeing "some light at the end of the tunnel". A further meeting with the Prime Minister is scheduled for Monday.
Bulgarian PM Borisiv undertaken that all January payments to the providers of medical services will be made in full by the end of next week, and that BGN 350 M will be transferred to the NHIF budget within three weeks.
The Health Minister, Bozhidar Nanev, has also announced that a decision is pending that will ensure the promised funds, saying that a decision of the National Assembly can unblock the BGN 350 balance carried over from the reserve of NHIF.
The Bulgaria Doctors Union has already threatened to go on general strike on April 7, the traditional Doctors' Day.
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