Bulgarians who do not pay health insurance may be deprived of certain administrative services, including receiving identity cards, the country's newly appointed Health Minister has revealed.

On Saturday, Minister Desislava Atanasova told Darik radio that she came up with the idea of imposing administrative sanctions to people who are not health insured already as an MP with the ruling centrist-right GERB.

Identity cards are obligatory in Bulgaria at the age of 14. Any person above 14 being checked by the police without carrying at least some form of identification is liable to a fine of EUR 25.

During her interview on Saturday, Atanasova also pointed out that VAT on medications will not be lowered.

She also reiterated that she wanted to make the selection of a medical team an additional service paid by insurance from private funds.