site.btaWB Report Says Bulgaria's Healthcare System Impedes Human Capital Development

The healthcare system in Bulgaria impedes human capital development, a World Bank report shows. The data was presented by Anna Koziel, a Senior Health Specialist at the World Bank, during the tenth edition of an annual health conference, organized by Capital.

Not a single healthcare report has been published in Bulgaria for the past eight years.

In Koziel's words, Bulgaria has a big problem because of the imbalance in human capital by age and by region. Overcoming barriers and implementing innovations in healthcare would increase the efficient use of resources, leading to a healthier population, more human capital and economic prosperity. Human capital development is impeded by inadequate prevention and treatment, as well as by low care efficiency. In Bulgaria, there is high access to the internet, but the health literacy of the Bulgarian population is one of the lowest among EU countries, Koziel added.

Bulgaria ranks first among EU countries in premature deaths before the age of 70, said Koziel. The data show that Bulgaria has the highest smoking rate in the EU. Compared to 13 other EU countries, the figures show that deaths in Bulgaria due to smoking are decreasing but are still the highest in number.

Few Bulgarians take advantage of the preventive services. Less than 10% of people aged 65 and older have been vaccinated against influenza, only six out of 100 people at risk for colon cancer have been screened, and nearly a quarter of women at risk have never been screened for cervical or breast cancer.

In Bulgaria, healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP, is the lowest in the EU. Personal health expenditure is quite high, leading to disastrous results, especially for the poorer part of the population. Bulgaria ranks third among EU countries in terms of direct patient payments, with only Greece and Malta ahead of it.

The challenges that Bulgaria faces are ageing population, mental health and non-communicable diseases.