site.btaUPDATED Bulgaria Marks World Health Day

President Rumen Radev, Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) President Ivan Madzharov, outgoing Health Minister Hristo Hinkov, and outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel Sunday greeted healthcare professionals on World Health Day. 

In a Sunday press release, President Rumen Radev said that the right to health, and not revenue, should be the guiding principle on which the Bulgarian healthcare system is based. Radev stressed that the real debate on the future of the healthcare system in Bulgaria should be dedicated to the needs of patients and medics.

"World Health Day is a day of appreciation and respect for you, people of health, for your efforts to preserve what is most precious - life. I choose to call you 'people of health' because you have dedicated yourselves to the most human profession," Radev said. The Head of State also stressed that every Bulgarian citizen has the right to health, which is expressed in access to quality medical care, information, training and care.

BMA President Ivan Madzharov congratulated his colleagues working in the health care system on the occasion with a congratulatory address, published on BMA's website. "Every day you continue to prove with unwavering determination that we medics are a trust not only for our patients but also for the whole of society," the greeting states.

"With tireless and highly specialized work, with competence and dedicated care, we continue to prove that we are the guardians of the most precious good - human life! Thank you, colleagues, for your daily efforts and work to strengthen the credibility of the medical profession and raise the authority of the entire profession," the BMA President said.

In a congratulatory address, published on the website of the Health Ministry, outgoing Health Minister Hristo Hinkov said that the entire Bulgarian society extends its gratitude to the medical professionals of Bulgaria, for their dedication to health care, which "will always be the most precious resource in life." The congratulatory address points out that since 1964, on this date, workers in Bulgarian health care also celebrate their professional holiday.

Hinkov expressed his sincere respect for the humane choice to dedicate oneself to medicine. "Carriers of hope, you are the pillars of our healthcare system and an integral part of every person's destiny. I know many of you, we have worked together and I have witnessed how dedicated and selfless you are in your calling. Many of you have glorified Bulgaria with your professional successes and are among the most respected experts in the global medical community. However, I know that what truly warms your hearts is the gratitude in your patients' eyes. There are no words to describe the happiness of helping, of healing, of saving. Behind it all lies a lot of effort, sleepless nights and a constant striving for improvement," the outgoing minister said in his address on the occasion.

"I highly appreciate your professionalism, undaunted by the challenges that the dynamics of time confront us. It is the foundation of effective healthcare and I believe that you will continue to prove it here in Bulgaria in the interest of patients and those involved in the sector," Hinkov added.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel greeted healthcare workers with a publication on Facebook. She expressed gratitude for the tireless work for the health and lives of patients and wished health, strength, success and dedication in the noble profession.

Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev expressed gratitude with a publication on Facebook to all those who have chosen the mission to help and save lives as their professional path. Terziev congratulated all doctors, medical specialists and health workers in the municipal medical institutions. "Thank you for your dedication to what matters most: human health and life," the mayor added.