site.btaContinue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria to Submit Request for Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee to Discuss Medical Salaries

Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria MP Vasil Pandov told journalists in Parliament on Friday that his party would once again be submitting a request for an ad-hoc parliamentary committee to meet the following week to review the law on increasing the salaries of medical professionals.

According to Pandov, those in power are delaying consideration of the relevant legislation by using procedural tricks, because the deadline for submitting the state and National Health Insurance Fund budgets is approaching. He added that if the bill is not reviewed on a second reading by October 20, the chance that the state budget will be adjusted to accommodate these salary increases is minimal. He noted that this concerns both doctors and nurses.

The MP added that the Ministry of Finance does not foresee allocating funds for pay rises. He said that 2.5% of the Health Insurance Fund's budget would be needed to achieve the desired salaries for medical professionals. He added that a large part of the BGN 240 million is needed for nurses.

Pandov said that, although the government has adopted a strategy to increase their salaries, the state is not doing anything in this direction. "We will continue to submit requests for an ad hoc parliamentary committee every week until October 30, so that there is at least a minimal chance," the MP said.

Pandov recalled that there was supposed to be a meeting of the parliamentary committee on healthcare this week to consider the bills at the second reading, but it was cancelled. He added that a meeting of a working group, scheduled for Friday to hear expert opinions, had also been cancelled.

He said that the protesting young doctors and nurses had been lied to for another week, being told that something would happen regarding their demands for higher pay. 

Earlier this week, young doctors protested again demanding decent wages. They want the salary of a doctor without a specialty to be 150% of the average wage in the country.