„There can be no regulation of prices in the free medical market. The only problem is if people didn't know in advance how much it would cost them. In this case, the colleague has definitely overestimated himself with the amount and it deals an unpleasant image blow to our tourism. If I were the owner of a hotel, I would not allow the doctor to examine for BGN 1,500, because there is no such price.
That's what he said on “This Morning“ the former Minister of Health, Dr. Miroslav Nenkov, on the occasion of the case involving a doctor who took BGN 1,450 for an examination of a child in the "Golden Sands" resort.
„The reform made it so that it equated medical practice with groceries. If the owner of the grocer wants to sell the cheese for BGN 280 per kilogram, that is his business. The important thing is that we know, entering the grocery store, that the cheese costs so much”, noted Dr. Nenkov and added that it should not be expected that the doctor is indebted to someone.
In his words, the state can very easily organize health care at any point in the country, but it is very expensive.
Medical law attorney Maria Sharkova explained that the patient must be notified in advance of the prices of medical services by placing the price list in a prominent place.
“Executive Agency “Medical Supervision“ can check if a price list is available and if it has been made available to patients. I checked and this outpatient clinic does not have a price list published on the website of the Ministry of Health, or at least I did not find it, Sharkova pointed out.
In her words, all patients have the same rights, regardless of which country they come from and what their nationality is, and there cannot be a different price list for Bulgarians and foreigners.
„In Bulgaria, there is no regulation on pricing, and there are no ceilings. When the medical facilities do not have a contract with the NHIF and the patients they examine are not health insured or are foreign citizens who do not present a European health card, they can treat them at prices that they have determined in their price list, added the lawyer on medical law and reminded , that if we have health insurance, we have the right to a free examination by a general practitioner and free emergency care, but in those hospitals that have signed a contract with the Ministry of Health.
Georgi Rachev, who is the vice-president of the Bulgarian Association of Travel Agencies, recalled how important it is to have medical insurance and to know what it covers.
„Every foreigner should have. When Bulgarians travel abroad, they should know that 95% of insurances do not require you to pay in cash. There must be a reinsurance agency that you turn to and administratively collect this money, Rachev said.
In his words, the case of the expensive examination of the Lithuanian child deals a blow to the image of our country as a tourist destination.