Ex Bulgarian PM: Health Care in 'Dire Straights'

The leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and former Prime Minister, Sergey Stanishev, reiterated the failure of the GERB cabinet in the health care sector might be grounds for a no-confidence vote. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's health care system needs an emergency financial shot in order to survive, according to the leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and former Prime Minister, Sergey Stanishev.

Stanishev says the funds for health care for 2010 are down BGN 450 M compared to 2009, all while the hospitals get deeper and deeper in debt. He pointed out there is an urgent need to find BGN 250 M for health care by the end of 2010 otherwise the system would collapse, adding the required funding grows by BGN 200 M annually.

The former PM stated the failure of the cabinet of the center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party in the health care sector could be one of the grounds to stage, along with the other main opposition force – the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, a no-confidence vote against the government.

Stanishev said his party fully supports the demands of the Bulgarian Doctors' Union for the resignations of the Health Minister and the Finance Minister.

On the topic of the upcoming local and presidential elections next year, the Socialist leader informed his party might support the current Mayor of Plovdiv, Slavcho Atanasov and enter into coalition with his nationalist VMRO-NIE party, depending on the latter's commitments.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!