Winter Tourism: 1.8 Million Visit Bulgaria
Bulgaria has witnessed a bustling winter tourism season, with a total of 1.8 million tourists gracing its picturesque landscapes from December 1 to March 25
For the ninth successive year Bulgarians have been invited to donate blood as part of the national spring campaign, initiated by the country's Red Cross.
The campaign goes under the motto "Donate blood – save a life" and will continue by May 20.
Bulgaria is showing no sign of being able to cope with the acute shortage of blood as people are becoming more and more reluctant to join donation campaigns, a Novinite.com check showed.
The major part of the Bulgarians who undergo planned operations ask their relatives to donate the needed blood, falling an easy prey to the black market dealers.
Lingering around the National Transfusion Centre, a group of a dozen gypsies may look like any other Roma men who roam along the suburban streets of the capital, but their real purpose is trading blood for money.
The Roma charge from BGN 300 to BGN 600 for the priceless document that proves one of them has donated at least 450 ml of blood.
The black market for blood has recently seen some upgrade with the dealers starting to do business online, which only cemented their status as a staple, though stark, example of health care reminiscent more of a third world country than an EU member state.
It is only after the start of the transition period that Bulgarian hospitals became chronically short of blood for transfusion. Under the communist regime hospitals disposed of sufficient amounts of blood reserves as blood donation campaigns were obligatory.
The number of blood donors shrank dramatically since the fall of communism, leaving patients with yet another psychological obstacle to overcome beside the disease itself and the hospitals' insufficient capacity.
Bulgaria's Ministry of Health says it is recording an ever-declining trend of the number of the voluntary blood donors. Data shows that Bulgaria lags far behind international standards for blood donation - 21 donors per 1,000 people against the required 60 donors per 1,000 people.
Poor economic conditions and low living standards top the list of reasons, together with the fact that blood donation costs time, some pain, and occasionally unpleasant consequences.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
In a recent interview with BTA, Associate Professor Angel Kunchev, the chief state health inspector, addressed the potential declaration of an epidemic of whooping cough and outlined the measures that would be taken in response
As Bulgaria grapples with a surge in whooping cough cases, Public Health experts offer insights into the situation, assuring the public about the severity of symptoms and emphasizing the importance of vaccination
A recent study conducted by the sociological agency "Global Metrics" on behalf of UNICEF Bulgaria and the Ministry of Health sheds light on the attitudes of Bulgarian parents towards vaccination
In response to a surge in whooping cough infections across the country, the Ministry of Health has announced a significant adjustment to the immunization schedule
In response to the alarming surge of whooping cough cases, the Health Commission has convened an extraordinary meeting to address the escalating situation
Professor Iva Hristova, Director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCCPD), has sounded the alarm on the stealthy danger posed by whooping cough, with mortality rates soaring to a chilling 2-4%
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022