site.btaBulgaria Continues to Increase its Hospitals' Capacity

Sofia, November 16 (BTA) - Bulgaria continues to strengthen the
capacity of its hospitals and provide them with the necessary
medications, the number of recoveries is growing and health
institutions are under the most pressure in the regions of
Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Plovdiv, Bourgas and Shoumen. This is, in
nut shell, the information that was reported to Prime Minister
Boyko Borissov by Health MInister Kostadin Angelov during a
working session at the Council of Ministers, the Cabinet press
service said Monday.

The meeting was also attended by the head of the coronavirus
taskforce and director of the Military Medical Academy (MMA),
Prof. Ventsislav Moutafchiiski, the director of the National
Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases and taskforce
member Todor Kantardjiev, Chief Health Inspector Angel Kunchev
and the director of Sofia's Pirogov emergency hospital Asen
Baltov.

The Health Minister said that the five regional centers with the
 most coronavirus patients are working to increase their
hospitals' capacities and recruit medical students to help with
the workload. Prof. Moutafchiiski said that the MMA is
designating four additional wards for treatment of COVID-19
patients.

Regarding the supply of medications, Minister Angelov said that
all health care esablishments will be provided for. He said that
 panic-buying of medicines by people who don't need them creates
 shortages on the market. An additional 20,000 packages of the
medications for which demand is highest, will be supplies to the
 market. Supply of medications has also been secured for
pregnant women.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov instructed the Health Minister to
meet with representatives of the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union
(BPhU) to discuss ways to ensure round-the-clock access to
pharmaceutical services.    

The Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) argues that it would be
in the best interest of Bulgarian people to adopt quickly
regulatory amendments to ensure there are round-the-clock
pharmacies for all people in Bulgaria. The BMA says that only 30
 - or  per cent - of all pharmacies in Bulgaria work on a 24/7
basis. The regions of Vratsa, Vidin, Razgrad and Targovisht in
the north of the country, and Smolyan in the South have no 24/7
pharmacies. At the same time, Bulgaria has one of the highest
pharmacy per capita ratio in the EU.

The BMA argues that in the early stages of a coronavirus
infection, some 90 per cent of patients do not need prescription
 medications which is why one solution is to start selling
over-the-counter medicines in supermarkets, 24/7 stores and
other commercial outlets open around the clock.

While the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union (BPhU) welcomes BMA's
proposal for legislative changes to encourage more pharmacies to
 work on a 24/7 basis, they are strongly opposed to the idea of
selling medicines in outlets other than pharmacies.

Pharmacies could be incentivised to work round the clock if each
 is offered a 1,000 leva bonus from the budget during the
pandemic, similar to the additional stimulus promised to general
 practitioners for working with COVID-19 patients, BPhU says in
a position they put out. The statement also reads that in the
long run, opening additional round-the-clock pharmacies may be
financed by the National Health Insurance Fund. RI/MY/MT