Bulgarian Cabinet, Hospitals Reach Deal on Overdue Payments

Representatives of Bulgaria's government have signed an agreement with representatives of health institutions for the full payment of overdues.

The deal includes a coverage of 100% of the amounts due by the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK) to hospitals, albeit at a delayed schedule.

The dues through September 2013 will be payed out by the end of December, while the money for the rest three months will be payed by the end of January 2014.

The deal was signed by Bulgarian Finance Minister Petar Chobanov, Health Minister Tanya Andreeva, NZOK director Rumyana Todorova, and doctors' professional associations chairs Tsvetan Raychinov and Borislav Milanov.

"Hospitals will be working properly, and citizens will not be paying for procedures covered by the Health Fund," said Raychinov.

"From my position of Finance Minister I do not feel comfortably that the budget for this year has not been properly assessed in advance," said Chobanov, member of Bulgarian PM Plamen Oresharski cabinet which assumed office in the end of May.

The issue of overdue payments to the hospitals broke out once it became clear that NZOK funds for 2013 were prematurely all but over.

Doctors have already started preemptive protests and promised to continue them should the problems fail to be solved.

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