The deadline has passed, but the problem remains. The 48-hour ultimatum that the manager of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), Assoc. Prof. Petko Stefanovski, set himself to solve the crisis with electronic prescriptions, turned out to be an empty promise. As of the afternoon of January 9, nearly 300 pharmacies in the country continue to experience serious difficulties or a complete inability to dispense medicines, and the widely proclaimed "IT landings" in places turned out to be a mirage.
The crisis, which blocks access to life-saving medications for thousands of patients, should have been resolved by today. On January 7, Assoc. Prof. Stefanovski stated categorically: "The issue will be resolved. I have given a deadline of 48 hours so that no citizen will be unable to obtain their medicines".
The reality 48 hours later is radically different. Instead of a working system, pharmacists and patients are faced with the same chaos, but with an added dose of disappointment from institutional inaction.
The main pillar of the NHIF strategy - sending IT specialists on site to problem sites - seems to be cracking under the weight of logistical impossibility. Master of Pharmacy Konstantin Popov, Chairman of the Initiative Committee of Pharmacy Owners, reveals the disturbing picture.
"Despite the fact that we were promised on-site assistance, no one says they were visited for assistance by the health insurance fund", said Popov, quoted by Clinica.bg.
His words are confirmed by the lack of any activity in key cities. Pharmacists from Ruse, Pazardzhik and Silistra signal that they have not seen either a representative of the health insurance fund or an expert from "Information Service" (NZIS). This raises the serious question: was the promise of physical checks a real plan of action or just a PR move to buy time?
While institutions play with deadlines, the burden falls on business and patients. Master of Pharmacy Penka Mineva, owner of pharmacies in Pazardzhik, describes the situation on the ground:
"I highly doubt that anyone will come to us and pay attention to us. We are doing our best. We are constantly consulting with each other. Queues are snaking outside in the cold, people are getting nervous."
Even in the facilities where the system works episodically, the fear of another collapse is constant. "On thorns" is the most accurate description of the state in which the pharmaceutical sector is currently operating - hostage to technological uncertainty and institutional incompetence.
The collapse of the system is not just a technical inconvenience; it is a structural risk to healthcare, which leaves the most vulnerable citizens waiting in the cold for medicines that the state guarantees them by law, but denies them in practice.