site.btaHealth Ministry Launches Comprehensive Package for Maternity and Child Care, Includes All Costs of Prenatal Screening

Health Ministry Launches Comprehensive Package for Maternity and Child Care, Includes All Costs of Prenatal Screening

Sofia, August 3 (BTA) - Health Minister Peter Moskov announced the launch on Monday of a comprehensive package for child and maternity health care which is fully financed by the Ministry. The new package cover all costs for prenatal screening, including the biochemical tests which determined the risk for Down's syndrome and which women now have to pay for out of their own pockets.

At present, the state only pays for the reagents for prenatal tests.

The new package also includes auditory neonatal screening and retinopathy screaning for premature newborns. Rough estimates show that some 800 children need such tests each year, said the Minister.

The government also starts to provide financing for comprehensive medical care for children with disabilities and chronic diseases. Each regional hospital will have teams of specialists and psychologists to work with such children, and the government will cover the hospital's costs for preparing a medical plan for each. This means that parents will no longer have to look for treatment options because the government will ensure access to highly qualified expert care, Moskov commented.

Centres will be established at the university hospitals for specific conditions for children, including diabetes, congenital heart defects, craniofacial abnormalities, mucoviscidosis, premature births, cancer, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy.

The government also launches a programme to train pediatricians and general practitioners to be able to detect autism early in a child's development before the age of 3.

Another campaign will aim to raise awareness of the benefit of vaccination, starting this month with a study looking at the prejudices and attitudes in society to vaccines. It will aim to reverse the trend with a growing number of parents opting against vaccinating their children.

Some 2 million leva have been made available for the whole package this year and funding is provided for next year as well.