The Council of Ministers adopted a National Strategy for Improving the Accessibility and Capacity of Primary Outpatient Medical Care and Ensuring a Balanced Territorial Distribution of Medical Care and Healthcare in Bulgaria 2027, and a plan for the strategy, announced at a briefing at the Council of Ministers Minister of Health Silvi Kirilov, quoted by BTA.
The document is part of the National Plan for Recovery and Sustainability and aims to overcome the shortage of medical specialists and the imbalance in their distribution.
"We are introducing incentives for young people to choose professions in the sector, Kirilov pointed out. Conditions for work are being created in small settlements and support is being provided to general practitioners in remote areas. New outpatient clinics for primary care and health care will be opened there, so that people in small settlements do not have to travel dozens of kilometers to see a doctor, "said the minister.
He added that local policies at the municipal level will be supported to attract and retain certain types of medical specialists, such as providing a scholarship during training, providing housing, and assistance in starting work for a husband or wife.
"Among other incentives are providing the opportunity to enroll in kindergarten and school for families with children, creating better financial conditions through additional payment, especially in the primary care system, as well as creating a new payment standard that will link the remuneration of medical specialists to their qualifications in order to ensure fairness and predictability in the system," informed Silvi Kirilov.
According to him, another important element is the introduction of a unified information system that will monitor in real time the number, qualifications and territorial distribution of personnel.
"This will allow informed decisions to be made and resources to be directed where the shortage is greatest. We will build consultative health and social units that will be a support for vulnerable groups - young mothers, families with children with disabilities, with chronic diseases and special needs, as well as for elderly people at risk of social exclusion", Kirilov also said.
"This is a new model that will bring care closer to the person and reduce the burden on the hospital system. With this strategy, we are laying the foundations for a fairer and more balanced health system. The measures will restore people's trust and ensure a future for Bulgarian healthcare," the Minister of Health added.