Bulgaria’s Health Minister Anna-Maria Borisova declared that hospitals throughout Bulgaria will only be restructured and not shut down.

During Wednesday’s meeting of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers, Borisova promised that ”no Bulgarian doctor or nurse will be thrown out in the street. ”

Bulgaria’s Health Minister also explained that the Ministry is currenty analyzing the condition of medical establishments throughout the country, which will ”help identify those hospitals in need of restructuring”.

According to Borisova hospitals that do not meet the set requirements will be turned into centers for further medical treatment and won’t risk a shut-down.

Borisova outlined five of the priorities of the Ministry for 2010, including the introduction of a national health card, boosting pre-hospital care and improving Bulgaria’s emergency medical help.

One of the Ministry’s main goals is to update the number and the prices for clinical paths in Bulgaria (access to various medical services).

Another priority is the restructuring of Bulgaria’s the drug and medicinal product distribution regulatory bodies.

"We will draft a positive list of all the medicinal products in Bulgaria, similar to the drug list that we already have. We also intend to have fixed rates for the drugs and medicinal products which are offered at state-controled establishments,” said Borisova Wednesday.

Administrative changes are also planned such as mergers of the Ministry’s directorates.

On Monday Borisova met with representatives of Bulgaria’s Doctors Union and agreed to most of their demands.

During the meeting, the two parties agreed that the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK) must be updated so that all due payments be made on time.

Borisova'a nomination as Bulgaria's health minister was approved by Parliament at the end of April, following the resignation of Bozhidar Nanev over accusations that he has concluded unfavorable for the state deals for the drug order of the swine flu pandemic.