Budget Committee Passes Update of Health Fund's Expenditure

The temporary Budget and Finance Committee at Bulgaria's Parliament has approved the allocation of BGN 100 M more to the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK).

MPs passed the bill overwhelmingly, with 15 voting yes, none against and four abstained.

NZOK, a cash-strapped institution, has remained in dire straits over the past few months despite the previous elected government's eleventh-hour decision to grant BGN 225 M more to its budget so that the fund is able to make payments to hospitals during the entire year.

Doctors had demanded more than BGN 300 M from the cabinet in July, when it was just about to resign, but it failed to set aside that amount in its last days in office.