Over Half Million Bulgarians Deprived of Doctors Care

Over half million Bulgarians or a total of 582 809 people don't have the option of selecting a general physician in the village where they live.

The data was reported by the Bulgarian Trud (Labor) daily, based on an inquiry with the Health Ministry.

The most common reason is that the village is remote and/or located in a poor area. Residents of such places are forced to seek medical care in the closest town or city.

There are 424 job openings for doctors in the country, which no one wants to take. 51 are in the Kardzhali Region, the regions of Targovishte and Silistra have 27 each; Plovdiv and Varna – 26, Razgrad and Ruse – 25. There are no untaken doctor's positions in Vratsa and Gabrovo.

The State is attempting to solve the problem by offering through the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK) additional benefits with monthly bonuses starting at BGN 150 and reaching BGN 1 200, but very few doctors, especially those with families and young children, take advantage of them.

The Chair of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Desislava Atanasova, from the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party points out funding for medical care in small villages is insufficient, despite the effort, causing shortage of doctors there.

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