Five municipalities in Bulgaria do not have a single nurse

Five municipalities in Bulgaria do not have a single nurse, according to an analysis by the Institute for Market Economy. The municipalities without a single healthcare specialist are among the smallest in the country - Opan, Treklyano, Koprivshtitsa, Dalgopol and Kovachevtsi. In over 100 other municipalities, the number of nurses and midwives is between one and ten.

According to the IME analysis, Bulgaria is gradually becoming a "desert" in terms of medical specialists. It states that in 2025, a little over 42 thousand healthcare specialists will work in our country, but they are unevenly distributed. The largest number is in the large municipalities – the capital with nearly 10 thousand and Plovdiv with about 4 thousand. There are over 1,000 healthcare specialists in 7 Bulgarian municipalities.

If we consider the indicator for the average number of people per specialist, the best provided with healthcare specialists are Pleven (55 people per specialist), Panagyurishte (75), Smolyan (79), Vratsa and Plovdiv (82 each).

Traditionally, Pleven is the municipality with the best provision with all kinds of medical specialists and healthcare facilities and is gradually becoming the center of medicine in Bulgaria, for which the medical university there plays a central role. The least well-provided are Glavinitsa, Bolyarovo, Hitrino, Maglizh and Lesichovo, with one healthcare professional in each of them responsible for over 2.5 thousand people.

The IME proposes measures, including allowing assistant pharmacists to trade in medicines in small settlements where there is no open pharmacy, and paramedics to serve patients at emergency centers.

The analysis also states that in order to increase interest in medical professions, each one needs to have a clear path for professional development and adequate remuneration.