site.btaSocialists Back Medical Association's Memorandum on State Budget

Sofia, October 11 (BTA) - Members of the BSP For Bulgaria parliamentary group and the leadership of the Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) on Wednesday discussed the healthcare budget for 2018 and the condition of the national healthcare system.

Emerging from the meeting, National Assembly Health Committee Deputy Chair Georgi Yordanov told the press that the 2018 state budget will likely be proposed at the eleventh hour, leaving no time to make any substantial changes to it. This implies many difficulties for medical workers next year, Yordanov warned.

Georgi Mihailov MP expressed the BSP's full support for the arguments set out by the BMA in its memorandum on the state budget. Mihailov is worried that no practical talks have been held about the BMA's suggestions concerning the pay of medical specialists and the need to review clinical pathways and their prices, which would allow the state budget to be structured properly. He said BSP For Bulgaria will watch very closely the incumbents' negotiations with the BMA.

BMA President Ventsislav Grozev said his association's position on the financial framework and the reasoning behind it met with understanding from the BSP For Bulgaria. Almost all parliamentary groups support the BMA's position, Grozev noted.

There are things about the financing model that need to be deliberated, according to him. He noted that the quality of medical services is high enough under the circumstances. Grozev recalled the financial problems confronting the hospitals in Vratsa, Lovech, Devin and Stara Zagora and warned of a domino effect unless measures are taken.