site.btaBulgarian Pharmaceutical Union Comments on Number of Pharmacies in Bulgaria

General Secretary Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union (BPU) Svetoslav Krumov told journalists at a press conference on the occasion of the organization's 10th anniversary on Monday that 78% of Bulgarian residents live within a five-minute distance of a pharmacy, with that number being 58% in the EU. Krumov noted that there are still settlements in Bulgaria where the nearest pharmacy is 30 minutes away. 

At the beginning of 2025, there were 3,228 pharmacies in Bulgaria, of which 3,023 were serving the general population, 205 were in hospitals, and 173 were opened within the past year.

Krumov said that there are too many pharmacies in the country, bit that the main issue is their uneven distribution. In the EU, there are 7.3 pharmacists per 10,000 people, while in Bulgaria there are 9.6 per 10,000 people. One pharmacy in the EU serves an average of 4,150 patients, while in Bulgaria one serves an average of 2,300. In 2024, 173 permits were issued for the opening of pharmacies, but the lack of demographic criteria for their opening leads to a large number of pharmacies concentrated in economically attractive areas.

"We will expect the government to continue working towards the goals set out in the 2020 - 2030 National Health Strategy, which was prepared with the consensus of all participants in the drug supply chain," said BPU Chair Dimitar Marinov. The document allows for pharmacies to see the availability of medicines in wholesale warehouses, so that any pharmacist can order medication to fulfill electronic prescriptions. 

The problems in the industry cannot be solved by opening mobile pharmacies, through vending machines located in front of pharmacies and by dispensing medicines according to a doctor's prescription by someone other than a master pharmacist, Marinov said.

From April 1, the National Health Insurance Fund is expected to control the execution of electronic prescriptions in real time, which will make it easier for both patients and pharmacists, Marinov said.

On February 10, the BPU celebrated 18 years since its establishment.