Yesterday, the leader of the ITN PG Toshko Yordanov with arrogant cynicism "sent" young Bulgarian doctors to Sicily and with carefree ease "replaced" them with imported medics. This is an insult. To all of us.
I will not do an amateur psychoanalytic analysis of the leader of the ITN PG and chairman of the NA Culture Committee Toshko Yordanov, who yesterday during a meeting of the parliamentary committee on health with arrogant cynicism "sent" young Bulgarian doctors in Sicily and with carefree ease "replaced" them with imported doctors who would work happily in Bulgaria.
"Go to Italy, pay yourself..."
Here are some of his words, which can also be read as a diagnosis of the speaker: "Go to Italy, pay yourself, work for 5 years in some village in Sicily and come back happy here. If you think that everyone in medical circles abroad is waiting for you 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 happily…"
The public response after what was said forced the press center of the ITN party to instantly spread a position: something like an apology wrapped in cellophane packaging "the words were taken out of context".
The context, by the way, is available to all who wish to inflict the entire 13-minute logorea of Toshko Yordanov. From which it becomes mercilessly clear that "his most sincere request for an apology" is downright impudent.
His words were interpreted by the college as a mockery, as humiliation. Comparing young doctors as easily replaceable labor shows not only ignorance of the profession, but also an inability to dialogue with experts and specialists from the medical profession. Because we are not talking about ordinary workers, but about people who have passed difficult exams, taken the Hippocratic oath, and dedicated themselves to the service of one of the most humane professions.
"In order for a doctor to work in another country, he must not only master the foreign language, but also pass the relevant equivalency exams, become familiar with a different organization of work and a different regulatory framework", Dr. Alexander Simidchiev told the State Gazette.
These are his words that were heard today from the rostrum of the Parliament on the occasion of "spiritual emptiness mixed with arrogance" by Toshko Yordanov.
"A brutal blow against the entire class"
"With a feeling of bitterness and professional humiliation, I address you regarding the behavior and statement of Mr. Toshko Yordanov during a meeting of the extraordinary parliamentary committee on health care, dedicated to the problems of young doctors and residents.
[…]
His behavior was not simply offensive to the specific young colleagues present and their cause. It was a brutal blow against our entire class – against those who have been training for years, even decades, working under stress, around the clock, year-round, with often unbearable schedules, in conditions that many politicians cannot even imagine and many of them with insultingly low wages.
[…]
It is hypocritical to claim that funds cannot be provided for young doctors and nurses, while salaries in the security sectors are increasing by 50% to 75% without any reforms."
In the plenary hall, Dr. Alexander Simidchiev insisted that Toshko Yordanov resign as chairman of the culture committee in parliament because of his words yesterday.
The patient organizations "With You" condemned "the rude and unacceptable statement of MP Toshko Yordanov. And the lack of reaction from the chairman of the Health Care Committee, Prof. Kostadin Angelov and the Minister of Health from the quota of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Silvi Kirilov was commented on by their colleagues as a betrayal of the medical profession and an insult to the entire society.
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This comment expresses the personal opinion of the author and may not coincide with the positions of the Bulgarian editorial office and the State Gazette as a whole.