site.btaNew Organization Calls for Urgent Reforms in Child Healthcare

A newly established organization, Danaya for Life, calls for urgent reforms in child health care. Taking its name from 15-year-old Danaya who died in hospital in May 2023 after what her mother says was inadequate treatment, the organization brings together doctors, lawyers, writers, actors, journalists, bloggers, teachers, athletes, among others.

They put out a petition where they call for building a digital information system covering all children clinics in Bulgaria, to help parents chose the best clinic and specialists for the child's condition and location. They also urge opening a hot line for alerts and support to parents; setting in place standards for best practices for all medical specialties; updating the protocols for emergency aid for children and making them public on the websites of the hospitals; introducing a system for quality control and standards for communication between hospitals and within one hospital; making continued medical training mandatory for all medical specialists; and restructuring the Medical Supervision Agency into an independent state body (rather than an agency under the Health Ministry umbrella).

The organization said they will submit its demands to Parliament, the Government and the Health Ministry and will expect them to propose tangible actions within three months - or provide well-reasoned refusal to start reforms.