Bulgarian Finance Minister Petar Chobanov said the state could allocate BGN 225 M (EUR 112.5) to cover deficits at the national health fund NZOK.

In a statement to Health Minister Tanya Andreeva, Chobanov proposed that the healthcare item in the national budget could be boosted by adding that sum to ensure that the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK), the institution accountable for the expenditures needed at state hospitals, is able to make its money transfers.

The budget update in the healthcare section could be made at expense of other ministries' bills, website Dariknews.bg quoted the minister as saying.

Chobanov's offer comes as a session of the NZOK's Supervisory Council is to be held Monday.

The event was called after the Council of Ministers refused at its last meeting to update the fund's expenditure as the proposal it had received was not well-founded from a financial perspective.

Earlier, the Supervisory Council had announced that the institution could receive a BGN 200 M worth state injection. It believes the fund could gather the remainder of the sum it needs from health insurance installments yet to be received during the year.

NZOK is currently facing a shortage of financing estimated at BGN 328 M, and the Bulgarian Medical Association, representing doctors, says it only has funds for the hospitals until September.

Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski downplayed its financial difficulties last week by saying it also experienced them in 2013, but managed to tackle them without an intervention from the state.

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