We pay twice for a medical examination by the sea. This established an inspection along the Southern Black Sea coast. In the resort complex "Sunny Beach" the prices for the primary examination vary between 50 and 130 BGN for Bulgarians. And the tariff for foreigners in some of the private medical centers doubles.
In the five maritime municipalities - Nessebar, Pomorie, Primorsko, Sozopol and Tsarevo, there are a total of 27 general practitioners.
There are 11 private medical centers in Nessebar municipality. One of them is municipal, but they only examine the Health Insurance Fund if we have a referral. We enter a randomly selected private establishment in the "Sunny Beach" resort, introducing ourselves as employees of the resort, BNT reported.
Here's what a check showed:
- "What is the price for a primary examination at your place and do you work with the Health Insurance Fund?"
- "We do not work with Health Insurance Fund. The daily review is now BGN 90
Later we call on the phone, but as a tourist who came on vacation from Poland.
"I have a high temperature. What is the cost of a medical examination? I'm from Poland".
"The medical examination costs 89 euros, and each procedure is paid separately".
"Scam work. Here, a few days ago, we called the Emergency Service, they arrived from such a hospital and wanted 200 euros to take the sick person. They are making a pogrom in tourism," Veselin Nalbantov, deputy chairman of the BHRA, told national television.
"We cannot oblige every single medical facility, every single doctor to have a contract with the Fund, and under certain conditions," added Prof. Momchil Mavrov, manager of the NHSOC.
And there is no ceiling when determining the prices of services in private medical centers.
"Absolutely no offense. Every medical facility sets prices for medical services when patients are uninsured," added Dr. Petko Zhelyazkov, a general practitioner.
The condition is that the tariffs are clearly regulated.
In one of the medical centers in the resort "Sunny Beach" the price list is placed in a prominent place, and the price for a primary examination is BGN 100, regardless of whether it is paid by a Bulgarian citizen or a foreigner.
Even those with health insurance pay high prices if they do not have insurance.
"Bulgarians also have insurance recently. It seems that they want an invoice, not just a receipt. Whether they are reimbursed 100% is another matter," said Dr. Petko Iliev, manager of a medical center in "Sunny Beach".
The chance to be examined by the Health Insurance Fund in the resort is minimal.
"There is a Jeep practice that works with the locals. It is filled with residents, and this burden of another 200-300 thousand people is clear that it cannot take them," added Dr. Petko Iliev, manager of a medical center in "Sunny Beach".
RZI-Burgas does not have data on how many of the 27 general practitioners in the southern maritime municipalities have a contract with the Health Fund.
"With the blue health insurance card, they can visit a personal doctor who is in the place where they reside. We have signed a framework contract, which says that a patient from another settlement comes to us with some health problem and has health insurance - he should be examined. The price is, if they are over 18 years old and have no contraindications - BGN 2.90. The service is absolutely free for children," said Dr. Petko Zhelyazkov, general practitioner.
For Sinemorets, Rezovo and Varvara, the nearest doctor is in Tsarevo. High prices or the lack of doctors in seaside resorts often force vacationers to travel to the regional town, where an emergency office has been opened, which also works on weekends under the Health Insurance Fund. And in case of an accident on the beach, we can get free medical help on the spot at the medical center.