Toshko Yordanov from "Ima takvi narod" (ITN) apologized after the violent reactions to his statement, directed at young doctors demanding more decent pay.
"Some of the words I said to an extraordinary health commission were taken out of context. What I said is the following: there is a problem with the payment of resident doctors. We proposed a solution to the problem, a realistic solution to the problem," he said in a statement to the media.
The reason for his position was his statement during the health committee in the National Assembly earlier today.
"Go to Italy, get paid, work for 5 years in some village in Sicily and come back here happy. If you think that everyone in the medical community is waiting for you abroad with open arms, I wish you success. If you don't work here, we will be forced to bring in specialists from other countries who will work for 500 dollars happily, as much as the state can afford", he said. According to him, some of the financial requests are not well thought out, because "it is not normal for a resident to receive more money than the specialist who trained him".
"If I have nevertheless offended anyone, I sincerely ask for forgiveness. I deeply respect all the people in white coats in Bulgaria. I say it with respect and with all my heart!", Toshko Yordanov also points out.
We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria called on the ruling majority and the Minister of Health to distance themselves from Yordanov's words.
Patient organizations “Together with You” sharply condemned "the MP's rude and unacceptable statement".