Struggling Bulgarian Blood Transfusion Center Survives

The doctors, nurses, and lab specialists at the Regional Blood Transfusion Center in Bulgaria's Stara Zagora have decided to stay even though a month ago they announced their intention to quit because of their low salaries.

Their resignations had been withdrawn before Wednesday when the directors of all blood transfusion centers in Bulgaria met with Health Minister Desislava Atanasova over the worsening situation in these facilities.

In October, all six doctors and half of the nurses and lab staff at the Regional Blood Transfusion Center in Bulgaria's Stara Zagora said they were quitting in order to protest against their working conditions and the fact that they have been underpaid.

The Blood Transfusion and Hematology Center in Stara Zagora – which serves a quarter of Bulgaria, including the districts of Burgas, Sliven, and Yambol – has been understaffed anyway as it is supposed to employ 15 doctors.

"We reached the conclusion that the patients aren't to blame for the problems at the blood centers. That is why we decided to stay at work but this doesn't mean that we are doing away with our demands," explained Dr. Milka Naydenova from the Stara Zagora center, as cited by BTA.

On Wednesday, Health Minsiter Atanasova promised the directors of the five blood transfusion centers in Bulgaria raises for their staff.

Meanwhile, the press service of the Stara Zagora Municipality said Mayor Zhivko Todorov was going to ask the City Council to allocate BGN 20 000 from the municipal funds to the blood transfusion center in Stara Zagora as a money prize for its service in an attempt to alleviate its situation because on November 29, 2012, the institution is supposed to celebrate 12 years since its opening.

The municipality in Varna where the entire staff of the blood transfusion center also moved to quit announced it was going to use own funds in order to provide each employee of the center BGN 100 in addition to their salaries in November and December.

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