site.btaPoliticians, Health Professionals Outline Priority Policies for Improvement of Bulgarian Healthcare

Several priority goals united politicians, health professionals and MPs during the closing session "Policies and Financing Models in Healthcare in Bulgaria" of the 6th National Congress of the Bulgarian Medical Association, which took place in Sofia on Saturday. The discussion was attended by BMA President Ivan Madzharov, Health Minister Hristo Hinkov, National Health Insurance Fund Deputy Head Yordanka Penkova, Parliamentary Committee Deputy Chair Lachezar Ivanov and others.

The memorandum to be concluded will outline some of the future priority policies in the sector:

 1. Undertaking the necessary initiatives for legislative changes regarding the introduction of mandatory continuing medical education (CME) for doctors in Bulgaria. Developing a methodology and assessment for accreditation of CME. 

2. Development and implementation of policies to address the staffing crisis in health care, assessment and analysis to identify incentives, priority areas and specialties.

3. Development of a methodology and analysis for the introduction of alternative financing models in the health sector to complement the existing system, with the aim of reaching the average levels of spending per GDP in the sector in the European Union. 

- Focus on a more efficient allocation of health spending, closely linked to outcomes. 

- Prioritize same-day healthcare services for the population. 

- Introduce a mechanism for the gradual alignment of the remuneration of medical professionals in Bulgaria with the EU average.

4. Increasing the level of digitalization to achieve wider accessibility, higher level of efficiency of the provided health care and improved coordination between the different levels of the health care structures. 

5. Develop and implement policies to increase the level of screening and prevention of the population, including improving citizens' awareness of the need for and benefits of the same. 

6. Undertake the necessary initiatives for legislative changes to effectively protect medical professionals from verbal and physical aggression.