site.btaVarna's Medical University, BTA Sign Partnership Agreement

The Medical University of Varna and the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) signed a partnership agreement on Tuesday. The agreement was signed by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and the university’s Rector, Prof. Dimitar Raykov. 

BTA will publish at least one news item about the Medical University of Varna daily, Valchev said. The Agency is partnering with 50 national news agencies and can help promote the university internationally, he added, noting that the university hosts students from over 50 countries. The BTA Director General said that it is especially important that the university be well promoted among the Bessarabian community.

This is the 40th Bulgarian university to sign an agreement with BTA, Valchev said. He added that by the end of this year, the Agency aims to have agreements in place with all 51 universities in the country. He said that it would be great for the university scholars to not only pursue projects but also to share their achievements in a way that is accessible to the wider public.

Valchev added that it BTA will benefit from having interns from the Medical University, as Bulgaria needs well-informed health journalism.

Varna’s Medical University Rector Raykov highlighted the institution’s leading role in medical science in this country, noting that its scholars have a lot to offer. 

The Vice Rector for Educational Affairs, Prof. Albena Kerekovska, said that the university currently has more than 6,000 students, nearly 2,000 of whom are from abroad. The majority of the international students - 1,000 - are German. Young people from 53 countries, including the United State, Ireland, Canada, Brazil and India, are enrolled, Kerekovska added. 

The Vice Rector for International Cooperation, Prof. Mario Milkov, said that the university has organized numerous international medical conferences. It maintains very good relations with the Balkan countries, has agreements with universities in Argentina and the United States, and facilitates student and faculty exchanges, Milkov added. In his words, many foreign hospitals are interested in graduates from the university.

Prof. Violeta Yotova, Vice Rector for Science and Research, said that the institution is actively working toward being recognized as a research university. 

During the signing ceremony, Valchev presented Prof. Raykov with a copy of the BTA bulletin covering the opening of the then Higher Medical Institute in 1961. BTA also covered keys milestones such as the university’s tenth anniversary and the opening of the university hospital in 1986.

“We must keep records of the universities and Bulgarian science because they paint a beautiful picture of our country,” Valchev said. He added that they also serve to show young Bulgarians that the quality of education in this country is not under par and the interest of foreign students is indicative of that.