The conditions in these homes give me reason to say that this is a disgrace for us, as Bulgarians, and that we have allowed this to happen in the 21st century. Moreover, this problem has been around for quite a long time, I remember that such problems were outlined before our entry into the European Union in a number of reports on Bulgaria. This was stated to bTV by the former Minister of Labor and Social Policy Georgi Gyokov in connection with the places where adults are left in a helpless state, without adequate medical care and conditions.
And he specified – it is not about homes for the elderly or people with disabilities, but about disguised “rooms for rent“.
“It is clear to everyone that the homes in Yagoda and Govedartsi are not the only cases and they are aware that these practices are not new. Last year, one person died, three were injured in a fire in an unlicensed such home in Bankya, and in 2021, a fire broke out in a home for the elderly and claimed the lives of 9 people“, he said.
In his words, even when such a place remains without a license, it continues to be under the attention of the control bodies of the Ministry of Social Affairs, but inspections should be carried out jointly by the Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And to criminalize the provision of social services without a license - accordingly, to be treated under the Criminal Code.