Bulgaria Health Ministry Proposes Changes to Child Treatment Fund

Deputy Health Minister Valery Mitrev said that since the beginning of 2009 the Fund has spent BGN 3,1 M. Photo by BGNES

A Bulgaria Health Ministry working group has proposed that all treatment requests are made directly to the Fund for treatment of children abroad after a recent scandal led to the Fund Director resigning Tuesday.

According to the group Chairman, Dimo Kyurkchiev these amendments will optimize the time needed to process requests as previously the requests had been first eceived at the Ministry of Health, then in a health committee and only after that passed on to the Fund. He added that the Fund should take 2 weeks to process requests using this method.

Deputy Health Minister Valery Mitrev said that since the beginning of 2009 the Fund has spent BGN 3,1 M, and by the end of the 2009 will have spent an extra BGN 500 000. During the year the Fund sent to 39 children to be treated abroad and 41 continued their treatment from the previous period.

The Director of the Fund for the treatment of children abroad, Dr. Nikolay Dobrev resigned from his post Tuesday after a scandal regarding the failure of the Fund to use BGN 25 M.

Speaking on Bulgarian National Television, Dobrev stated that despite the reports Monday that 3 children had died while waiting for money from the Fund, in fact all children who required funding had been provided for.

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