Ministry of Health

In response to the recent deaths of two newborns due to whooping cough, the Ministry of Health in Bulgaria has implemented measures to curb the spread of the disease. Dr. Galya Kondeva, the Minister of Health, revealed at an extraordinary briefing that the ministry has initiated steps to limit the outbreak's impact.

Two infants from Kyustendil have tragically lost their lives after contracting whooping cough, confirmed by Chief State Health Inspector Assoc. Angel Kunchev and the Ministry of Health to BNR.

While assurances of salary boosts for nurses employed in kindergartens and nurseries have been made recently, the fundamental challenges endure, plunging the sector into a precarious situation.

The Ministry of Finance has disclosed its affirmative stance on allocating resources for covering the entire cost of 56 drugs targeting cardiovascular diseases, such as those addressing hypertension, arrhythmia, and other frequently occurring chronic ailments. The co-payment will be lowered for more than 300 medications.

Bulgaria is facing a concerning trend as new data reveals that every third child in the country is overweight, with obesity rates soaring among adolescents. According to data from 2022, the prevalence of obesity among children aged 7 to 19 is alarmingly high, with the most cases identified among seventh-grade students. These findings were shared by Deputy Minister of Health Assoc.

The health authorities in Gaza have reported that the number of Palestinians killed in the ongoing conflict with Israel has surpassed 30,000, according to a report from BTA. The Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Territory released a statement confirming 79 casualties in Israeli airstrikes overnight, although this information has not been independently verified.

In today's briefing held at the Ministry of Health, Bulgaria's Minister of Health, Prof. Hristo Hinkov, addressed concerns regarding the shortage of certain medicines in the country, particularly insulin. Prof. Hinkov asserted that the perceived shortages and associated drama are exaggerated, emphasizing that the ministry diligently monitors the pharmaceutical market.

The mortality rate in Bulgaria is among the highest in the world, despite the adequate resources and vaccines. This is presented in the audit report conducted by the National Court of Audit for the first two years of the pandemic.

As the media reported, the students could be on vacation from February 12 to 16. They would return to the benches on February 19.
The Ministry of Education has not sent any request to school principals, which refers to the statement regarding the extension of the Sretenje vacation for the whole next week, nor has such an initiative reached the Ministry of Education so far.

The Health Ministry has set up a task force to increase the number of people getting vaccinated against measles, and is preparing an information and vaccination campaign in regions with low inoculation rates, following an outbreak in Romania, and other European countries.