site.btaDoctors and Healthcare Professionals Rally Nationwide Over Wages and Conditions

Doctors and other healthcare professionals held a protest in Sofia on Monday, which began outside the Ministry of Health building and temporarily blocked traffic near the National Assembly.

Protest organisers demanded fair pay, transparent criteria for specialist training, and better working conditions.

Martin Paskov, a fifth-year medical student, said their main demands included increasing the minimum wage, introducing regulation and control to ensure this pay is granted, and implementing a system to monitor the payment of overtime. “We want specialist doctors to receive more when they gain higher qualifications,” Paskov added.

The protesters stated they do not support a proposal from a political party to raise their pay, arguing it had not been discussed with them and failed to address regulations concerning salaries.

The protest by junior doctors received support from other doctors and lecturers. Members of the Union of Bulgarian Medical Specialists and the Protection trade union also joined the demonstrators.

Healthcare professionals also protested in Burgas, Varna, Pleven, Plovdiv, and Stara Zagora.

Health Minister Silvi Kirilov said on Sunday that wage formation in healthcare varies by hospital type, and steps are being taken to address pay imbalances in the next budget. He noted that raising pay is important, but quality of care depends on other factors and funding is limited.