Bulgaria Owes BGN 95 M for Treatment of Bulgarian Patients in EU

The National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK) owes over BGN 95 M to European health insurance funds for Bulgarian citizens treated in European Union member-states.

This has been included in the draft budget of NZOK for 2017. The document also makes it clear that Bulgaria has stopped the payments to foreign health funds.

Interest on the debt will accrue for the remaining two months of 2016. Another BGN 91 M will be needed for 2017 which means that Bulgaria owes a total amount of BGN 185 M for the treatment of Bulgarian citizens in Europe.

The amount allocated by the budget for this type of expenditures for 2017 is BGN 62 M, or merely one-third of the funds needed.

According to representatives of patients’ organisations, this will limit the access of Bulgarian citizens to health treatment abroad.

NZOK usually permits treatment abroad for patients with severe or rare illnesses that cannot be treated in Bulgaria.

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