By the beginning of 2026, 18 municipalities will remain without a pharmacy on their territory. In 5 municipalities, where there was no pharmacy last year, at least one new pharmacy was opened according to the register of pharmacies of the Executive Agency of Medicines (BDA). The total number of operating pharmacies in the country reaches 3274. The analysis was made by economists from IME, quoted by FOCUS.
The location of pharmacies is concentrated in large settlements – in Sofia Municipality there are 711, in Plovdiv -225, in Varna – 190, with the number increasing in Plovdiv and Varna.
The following municipalities are without a single pharmacy: Alfatar, Antonovo, Boynitsa, Brusartsi, Georgi Damyanovo, Gramada, Dimovo, Kovachevtsi, Krushari, Makresh, Nevestino, Novo Selo, Sitovo, Suhindol, Treklyano, Chavdar, Chuprene and Yakimovo. There are 49 municipalities with one pharmacy on their territory.
One new pharmacy was opened in the following municipalities (which did not have a working pharmacy until a year ago): Kaynardzha, Madzharovo, Lucky, Nikolaevo and Opan. All of these pharmacies have benefited from funding from the NHIF under a special mechanism to support pharmacies that perform activities under a contract with the NHIF in settlements in hard-to-reach and/or remote areas or are the only performer of the relevant activity in the municipality, as well as with a 24-hour work schedule.
In terms of the population served by one pharmacy, the largest number is served by the only pharmacy in the Tundzha municipality (over 20.4 thousand people), followed by the pharmacy in the Dobrichka municipality (over 17.1 thousand people). Both municipalities have a very characteristic geographical structure of a ring around a regional city separated into an independent municipality and include many small settlements, so the population in them is probably served by pharmacies in the big city.
The population of the municipalities of Nessebar, Primorsko and Chepelare is best provided with pharmacies. In general, there are more pharmacies in the tourist municipalities, which is a result of the seasonal increase in the population and, accordingly, - several times higher demand.
In conclusion, analysts note that the reduction in the number of municipalities without a pharmacy is a good sign, but this does not necessarily guarantee good access to medicines. According to IME calculations, 1.9 million people live in a settlement without a single pharmacy. Many people have to travel or organize the receipt of medicines through relatives, neighbors or acquaintances. It is for this reason that IME launched the campaign "Bring Health". The Institute offers working solutions:
– Online delivery of prescription drugs – for people who cannot travel;
– Mobile pharmacies that travel to remote areas;
– Pharmacy branches with assistant pharmacists that can serve small settlements.