site.btaHealth Minister Reports on Identified Losses of BGN 100 Mln by Sofia's Lozenets Hospital

Losses nearing BGN 100 million have been identified at the Lozenets Hospital in Sofia, Caretaker Health Minister Galya Kondeva said on Thursday, speaking to the press before the start of a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Health.

The audit at the hospital was conducted by the Health Ministry's Inspectorate and covers the period from 2022 to the beginning of 2024. Kondeva said that her Ministry is facing major difficulties in trying to stabilize the hospital's severe economic situation. 

"The violations identified in the audit are related to public procurement, contract signing, credit withdrawals, among others," Kondeva said. "The findings from the audit have been forwarded to the competent authorities," she added.

Dr. Hristo Stoyanov, the former director of Lozenets Hospital, was relieved of his post in May 2024. The hospital is now managed by Dr. Olga Mitsova.

On February 1, 2024, the National Health Insurance Fund disclosed that an audit at Lozenets Hospital uncovered over BGN 300,000 in improperly obtained funds. Following this, the Health Committee mandated that then-health minister Hristo Hinkov was to submit a detailed report on the hospital's audits. This was in response to media allegations of corruption at the hospital.