site.btaBulgarian Medical Association Reports Shortage of 450 General Practitioners

Varna, on the Black Sea, November 6 (BTA) - There is a shortage of around 450 general practitioners in Bulgaria, said here on Monday deputy head of the Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) Galinka Pavlova, during a roundtable discussion on problems in the healthcare sector, organized by Varna Municipality.

There is also a shortage of physicians with various specialties, she said, adding that there are settlements and whole regions where the availability of physicians is just around 20 per cent. Pavlova described the situation as especially critical in the regions of Turgovishte, Smolyan and Razgrad.

The shortage of outpatient specialists is also becoming critical, Pavlova said. According to her, close to one-third of doctors are over the age of 50, while many are working part time. Financial problems started plaguing municipal healthcare establishments, she said, adding that BMA is currently surveying the debts they have accumulated. According to her, solving the crisis requires changing the regulatory framework in a way that allows municipalities to care for their own property.

Pavlova noted that BMA's leadership is concerned about the adoption of the National Framework Agreement (NFA) for 2018. The Association will fight to prevent Parliament from adopting a text from the National Health Insurance Fund's (NHIF) budget, according to which an NFA, drafted by the NHIF's Supervisory Board, will be imposed in case the professional organizations refuse to sign it.

In addition to nurses, there is a huge shortage of midwives, said Rayna Boyadzhieva of the Bulgarian Association of Healthcare Specialists. She said that the oldest currently working midwife in Varna is 78 years of age. The main problems in finding staff is the low starting monthly salary of 500-600 leva and the lack of clear career growth perspectives, she said.