site.btaPM Borissov: All Must Be Done to Stop Siphoning of Social Assistance Systems

Sofia, April 11 (BTA) - Speaking at a briefing at the Council of Ministers Wednesday, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that when his government was set up, a coalition agreement was signed and one of the conditions set by the parties to it was to make everything within their power to put an end to the siphoning of the various social assistance systems.

Labour and Social Policy Minister Bisser Petkov and Health Minister Kiril Ananiev also took part in the briefing, which was prompted by Wednesday's national protest of disabled people against the intended reform of the disability assessment system.

The Prime Minister specified that for years the Government has been working wonderfully with all organizations of people with disabilities that are currently protesting, and said firmly that these are allies of the Government.

He went on to say that the whole resource of the State will be used to provide greater control over disability assessment commissions, and added that over 1.7 billion leva go into this process.

Deputy Prime Minister Krassimir Karakachanov, who also heads the IMRO movement within the United Patriots power-sharing coalition of nationalist parties, also commented on the topic by saying, as quoted by his party's press office, that the reform of the disability assessment system should be put to a broad discussion until a public agreement is reached.

Karakachanov voiced support for stricter control over the issue of decisions on disability pensions, and suggested the introduction of an electronic personal record and an electronic healthcare card.

On paper, there are some 550,000 people with disabilities in Bulgaria at present, but given the drop in population growth and a population of some 7 million people, this figure sounds unrealistic, Karakachanov also commented. In comparison, there were some 150,000 people with disabilities in 1989-1990 when the country's population was 9 million people, he added. Bulgaria's social and healthcare system allocates 1,700 million leva a year to the payment of disability pensions, Karakachanov noted.

The opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party Wednesday circulated a position expressing full support for the "fair demands made in the protest note of the nationally representative organizations of and for people with disabilities". "Due to the inability of the Government to handle the misuses and corruption in this system, people with actual disabilities get punished," the position reads.