site.btaCaretaker Health Minister to Scrutinize Medical Salary Funds

Caretaker Health Minister Galya Kondeva committed on Tuesday to overseeing the distribution of funds for salaries to emergency medical staff and the new average individual basic monthly pay by staff categories, the Ministry of Health said in a press release after the Minister met with trade union leaders.

Kondeva is expected to meet with directors of the nation's emergency medical centres to address problems in the creation of new wage structures later on Tuesday.

The Council of Ministers approved extra funding for the Ministry of Health to address pay discrepancies among administrative staff and across all health and medical facilities. An additional BGN 29,083,010 were allocated to various policy sectors and budget programmes. Emergency medical centres got a significant portion, BGN 13,357,367, to help cover basic wages, social security payments, and extra compensation for night shifts and official holidays. The Ministry press office clarified that these funds were for all 7,227 roles within the emergency centre system.

Following the meeting, Krasimir Mitov, chair of Zashtita [Protection] national trade union, told journalists that a solid reserve of the amount earmarked for staff salaries at Emergency Medical Service Centres has been set aside for adjustments, as BTA reported earlier today.

Mitov is urging the Health Ministry to assist in updating the clinical pathways’ price by 10% in order to raise wages in hospitals, as well. He said that some regional hospitals are not as active as others and will not be able to provide the wages set in the current collective labour agreement.

"We have common ground that an option should be sought to be able to keep these hospitals operating and seek a way out of the crisis rather than deepening it," he added. Mitov expressed concern that there might be a new health minister before the next meeting takes place. It is scheduled for June 18.