Bulgaria's Constitutional Court Revokes Key Healthcare Reforms

Society » HEALTH | March 9, 2016, Wednesday // 11:02
Bulgaria: Bulgaria's Constitutional Court Revokes Key Healthcare Reforms Bulgarian Health Minister Petar Moskov. Photo: BGNES

The Bulgarian Constitutional Court revoked on Tuesday key parts of the package of healthcare reforms which had been proposed by Health Minister Petar Moskov.

The court declared as unconstitutional the amendment to the Health Insurance Act which proposed the division of services paid by the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK) into basic and additional packages.

The division into basic and additional packages was one of the main ideas of Moskov for reform of the healthcare sector, but it was harshly criticised by MPs in the plenary chamber.

After the healthcare reform was adopted by parliament, opposition MPs challenged the proposed division in the constitutional court.

According to the court, the criteria for the division of packages are unclear and the division is inadmissible as it concerns the basic rights of citizens.

The proposal violates the rule of law principle as well as article 52 of the constitution which stipulates that citizens are entitled to healthcare guaranteeing them accessible medical aid.

The court stated that the criteria which determine the allocation of different diseases to different packages should be clearly outlined in the legislation.

The amendment proposed the basic package to feature diseases which are widely spread among the Bulgarian population and for which treatment can not be postponed.

The idea was for the basic package to be covered by NZOK, while the treatment of diseases featured in the additional package to be paid for by health insurance or own funds.

The proposal foresaw the additional package to feature diseases which are not of life threatening nature.

After the verdict of the constitutional court, MPs from the opposition demanded on Wednesday the resignation of Moskov.

This is not the first time the opposition is voicing its criticism against the healthcare policies of the government.

The failure of the cabinet in its healthcare policies was the topic of the first vote of no confidence against the incumbent government held in February.

However the opposition was unsuccessful and the government survived the censure motion.

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Tags: Bulgaria, healthcare, health, insurance, NZOK, Petar Moskov, Constitutional Court, vote of no confidence, censure motion, resignation, diseases, treatment

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