Bulgarian Doctors from State University Pediatric Clinics are Ready to Protest

Doctors and healthcare professionals working in state university pediatric clinics, supporting the protest of their colleagues from the Prof. Dr. Ivan Mitev Specialized Hospital for Active Diseases in Children, are ready for their own coordinated protest actions.

This is clear from a statement of the Bulgarian Pediatric Association, which recalls unresolved problems in the field of child health. If these problems are not resolved shortly, doctors express their readiness to protest.

The non-payment of a consumer fee is discrimination by the state towards the work of the pediatricians and all the specialists who care for children's health are complemented by the declaration. Physicians insist on introducing a factor for complexity, as children with difficult to diagnose and treat illness are mainly treated in university hospitals, and these patients require significant financial resources.

Clinical paths should be separated for adults and children, with the goal of "removing a number of inconsistencies and inaccuracies that are currently present," added in the statement. The annual financial resource for patients under the age of 18 is not more than 11-13% of the NHIF's total expenditure, the doctors say.

The association also insists on setting up a structure at the Ministry of Health, responsible for the overall management and coordination of child health activities.

The Declaration of the Bulgarian Pediatric Association was sent to the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Minister of Health and others.