The Bulgarian Doctors Union has confirmed that its members will hold a national strike on April 7 to protest against the government’s reforms in the sector despite the planned reshuffle in the health ministry.

The strike is entitled ‘Day of Health-Day of Protest’ and doctors from around the country will decide in what way they want to protest.

The news comes weeks after the government decided to introduce a ceiling of BGN 3500 on doctors' wages as a temporary anti-crisis measure and shortly after Bulgaria's health minister Bozhidar Nanev resigned over corruption charges linked to a drug order for the swine flu pandemic.

According to the head of the Bulgarian Doctors Union Tsvetan Raychinov many doctors will join the protest even though a number of their demands have been accepted and are already part of the government's anti-crisis program.

“The program provides for a three-way management of the National Health Insurance Fund, which means that it will be denationalized,” Raychinov said and added that this ensures the participation of employers, trade unions and state representatives.

Other anti-crisis measures include the introduction of an electronic patient's health care card and a step-by-step program of the reforms, which the government plans to implement.

“We are not protesting in a bid to draw the public attention, but to solve the problems that we have,” Raychinov said, describing all previous attempts at reforms in the sector as “chaotic”.

The doctors do not oppose the reforms in the health care sector, but want them to be carried out transparently, he added.

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