The Minister of Health Katya Ivkova requested the support and international expertise of UNICEF for key processes in the construction of the National Children's Hospital. This was announced on its website by the Ministry of Health, BTA reports. The topic was among the main highlights of the meeting between Minister Ivkova and the new representative of the organization in Bulgaria, Mio Nemoto.
The construction of the hospital is not only an infrastructure project, but an opportunity to create a new model of children's healthcare, in which the needs of children and their families are the leading ones, said Minister Ivkova.
The two sides also discussed expanding cooperation in the field of children's mental health and patronage care, with Minister Ivkova raising the issue of pricing visits as a key step towards sustainable financing of the service. UNICEF expressed its readiness to assist with technical expertise and international experience.
Minister Katya Ivkova presented her vision for creating a center of excellence in child psychiatry. The possibilities for partnership with UNICEF will be discussed with the Expert Council on Child Psychiatry.
Among the other topics of the conversation were the prevention of violence against children, a safe digital environment and joint initiatives under the Bulgarian-Swiss Cooperation Program.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Nikolay Valov and experts from both institutions.
In early September, Katya Ivkova stated that the ambition was to have a children's hospital built by the end of the government's mandate. Not only to build the building itself, but also the entire accompanying infrastructure, as well as to provide staff so that this hospital can function, she added.