„The failures continue with the Recovery and Sustainability Plan. The Denkov-Gabriel cabinet ruined one of the key projects in healthcare and innovation“!
This is what the vice-chairman of VMRO and municipal councilor in SOS Carlos Contrera wrote on his Facebook profile.
„The construction of the National Center for Radiation Treatment with Proton Therapy, with a focus on the treatment of children, was Component 2 of the Investment “Modernization of Hospital Facilities” from the Recovery and Sustainability Plan with a total budget of BGN 349,127,763 without VAT (BGN 418,953,315 with VAT)“, he gives more details.
Here are the details:
This treatment is essential for the duration and quality of life of patients and is particularly effective and gentle in children.
The greatest benefit from proton therapy would be children with oncological diseases of all organs and systems, where we expect a complete cure. In addition, proton therapy is also of utmost importance for adults, where the tumor is in close proximity to important critical organs, such as the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys. This form of treatment is also most suitable for patients with recurrent tumor formations.
According to the initial calculations, the time required for the construction of the Proton Center is 3 years. This is a long-term investment for the benefit of society, the life of such technology is 20-30 years. Of particular importance is the choice of suitable terrain for the construction of the Center. It is necessary to review the engineering-geological and hydrogeological conditions of various terrains and analyze the geotechnical conditions for the foundation of the facility - a proton accelerator, which should be founded at a depth of about 25 meters below the earth's surface. Possibilities for construction in Sofia, Varna, Burgas, Plovdiv were discussed.
About the treatment:
Proton therapy is the most modern form of radiation therapy that allows doctors to “target“ very precisely in the tumor, while protecting healthy tissues and organs from radiation exposure.
For the needs:
Building such a Center is a chance for our country to become a leader in the Balkans in the treatment of cancer patients with proton therapy.
According to experts, at least 600 Bulgarians need proton therapy every year. However, this number is formed on the basis of patients who are treated abroad in such centers, and their treatment is covered by the National Health Insurance Fund. Outside this number of patients are those who self-finance their treatment, as well as others who are treated in our country, but with less effective therapies.
It is important to note that both patients from Bulgaria and the member states of the European Union will be treated at the National Center for Radiation Treatment with Proton Therapy.
The price of proton therapy is unified in all EU countries. It is around 29,000 euros. Now the treatment of Bulgarian citizens abroad, where there are such centers, is covered by the National Health Insurance Fund. The special thing is that the accompanying expenses for travel, accommodation rent, etc. remain at the expense of the patient.
Proton treatment clinical pathway price to be formed.
About the benefits:
In addition, the implementation of the project will support the implementation of several of the specific recommendations to the Republic of Bulgaria for the “Health“ sector, as follows:
- access to highly specialized medical care will be improved for the entire population, which fully falls within the scope of the specific recommendation for increasing the accessibility and capacity of the healthcare system in the country;
- new for the country and innovative for the region medical services will be provided, which also contributes to increasing the accessibility and capacity of the health system in the country on the one hand, and will also have a favorable impact on the motivation and desire of medical specialists to remain at work in the country, which will support the implementation of the other specific recommendation to Bulgaria - namely - for measures to retain medical specialists and increase their motivation to work here;
- trips abroad for cancer patients requiring this type of medical care will be significantly reduced. This, in turn, will lead to a reduction in the costs of both the NHIF and citizens in terms of out of pocket payments, which is another specific recommendation for the country.
We missed the moment for submission under the PVU in November 2023. The then Minister of Health Hinkov did not submit the project, even though we had prior approval for such a measure. Why - we will look for the answers yet. It is paradoxical that the PP-DB are supposedly the bearers of change and apologists for innovation and modernization, but they are destroying precisely innovative measures and solutions.
After we missed the opportunity under PVU, the only chance to build such a center is through national funding. This means that the state must make a decision sooner rather than later and assign at least the determination of the terrain and the preparation of a project.