The Bulgarian government and the Bulgarian Medical Association reached compromise on some contested issues at a meeting Thursday.

Recently a controversy was fanned in which Bulgarian hospitals protested cut state funding and the introduction of delegated budgets, which led to the Medical Association threatening street protests Wednesday.

Thursday the president of the Bulgarian Medical Association Tsvetan Raychinov met PM Boyko Borisov, Minister of Health Anna-Maria Borisova and Minister of Finance Simeon Djankov to discuss the situation.

The government agreed to pay hospitals in full for August and not to enforce contract annexes that reduce hospital funding by about 30%.

PM Borisov nevertheless stated that reforms adopted by the Ministry of Health will come in force January 1, 2011 anyway.

On his part the president of the Medical Association stated that the introduction of delegated budgets is unacceptable for Bulgarian hospitals.

The cabinet and the union of doctors united in their concern about failure on the part of Bulgarian citizens to regularly pay their health insurance, which overburdens the already strained system. PM Borisov quoted an estimate that 1.7 M Bulgarians consistently fail to pay their health insurance.

More meetings between the Bulgarian Medical Association and representatives from the government are outstanding. Doctors have not conclusively relinquished their readiness to protest.