The Minister of Labor and Social Policy Borislav Gutsanov held a working meeting with mayors and deputy mayors of municipalities – beneficiaries under components of the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan (NRSP), related to the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP). The purpose of the meeting was for the Minister and the team at the MLSP to ensure the full mobilization of the municipalities to implement the investments, to learn about the challenges they face, and to answer their questions.
The Plan envisages a complete renovation of 81 homes for the elderly worth 381 million leva. The investment is under the project “Modernization of Long-Term Care“, which has a total value of 753 million leva. It also includes financing for the construction of 250 new social services for people with disabilities and energy efficiency projects for existing services. This is in practice a comprehensive reform of long-term care, which will significantly improve the conditions for users.
“Currently, we are all in the same boat and we must work together to implement all projects under the NLP. We have a year and a few months, I ask for full mobilization. Each of you certainly wants to leave a mark on the municipality you govern. Let's congratulate each other after a year and a few months that everything has been mastered and people have been provided with quality and effective services that they deserve”, said Minister Gutsanov, quoted by the MLSP press center.
He was categorical that the entire team at the MLSP is available 24/7 for questions and emphasized the importance of each municipality working actively to implement investments in the name of its residents. “I am ready to assist, if necessary, in coordination with other institutions“, the minister also said.
The meeting was held in a hybrid version – online and in person, with over 70 representatives of the local government present on site, and nearly 120 people joining via connection. On behalf of the MLSP, the meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister Natalia Efremova, the Head of the Minister's Political Cabinet Zornitsa Vasileva, Tsvetan Spasov - Head of the Monitoring and Reporting Structure for the National Long-Term Care Plan and experts related to the implementation of the project.
At the meeting, Minister Gutsanov awarded the contracts for the project "Modernization of Long-Term Care" to the municipalities of Svishtov, Shumen and Batak.
With a budget of nearly 3.9 million leva, three new buildings for three new services will be built on the territory of the Batak municipality. The two will provide residential care for adults with physical disabilities and intellectual disabilities, respectively. People with disabilities and their families in the municipality can also use the Specialized Support Center service.
In the municipality of Shumen, construction of three new buildings is also planned for the construction of a Center for Residential Care for Adults with Mental Disorders with a budget of over 1.3 million leva.
In the municipality of Batak, four buildings for new social services will be built - for residential care to support people with intellectual disabilities and a Center for Specialized Support for People with Disabilities and their Families. The project is worth about 5 million leva.