site.btaFuture National Children's Hospital Will Need 309 Doctors, 454 Nurses, EIB Report Shows

The future National Children's Hospital in Sofia will need 309 doctors and 454 nurses as well as over 260 staff assistants, caretaker Health Minister Galya Kondeva told the parliamentary Health Committee on Thursday. She was acquainting the Committee with a report by the European Investment Bank (EIB). Another report - on the future hospital's functionality - will be elaborated.

The draft structure of the hospital will be put to public discussion, she also said. "Our wish is to have a final concept about the hospital's capacity by the end of August," she added.

This project, if adopted as a final concept, would be impossible to implement without support from Parliament and MPs, she noted. The main challenges are related to the fact that some of the proposals for the hospital require legislative revisions.

The report proposes the introduction of day care, telemedicine, transfer of hospitalisations to outpatient care, among other things, which requires additional funding. The status of the future hospital will also be put to a discussion, she noted, adding that there currently are 13 healthcare establishments in Sofia providing child healthcare services. It is proposed to give the future hospital third level of competence, which features complex diagnostics and treatment procedures.

The report also proposes the hospital to have 404 beds and 35 rooms for intensive care.