On the eve of the Easter holidays, UMBALSM "N. I. Pirogov" is once again organizing blood donation campaigns - a topic that remains key to the work of the largest emergency hospital in our country. The Executive Director Dr. Valentin Dimitrov emphasized in the studio of "The Day Begins" that blood donation should be perceived as a personal and moral act, and not as a commercial activity.
"Blood donation is a voluntary act. It cannot be regulated by law and cannot be administered in any way, because ultimately it is a bioproduct that is produced solely by us, by people. Blood donation is an act that one must have an inner feeling for, but we must always know when we talk about it that it saves human lives," said Dr. Dimitrov.
He added that although there are practices in which blood turns into a business, the solution lies in the public attitude and regular donation:
"Now that there are people who have turned it into a kind of business – I think that with a regulation and a setting of society for systematic blood donation, it will disappear by itself. Regarding blood donation, people should know one thing – it cannot harm human health. On the contrary, it can improve health and even rejuvenate the body."
In the days before Easter, he also drew attention to the topic of faith and miracles in medicine:
"Every life saved is a medical miracle. At the end of every major operation, surgeons say "early postoperative period" because they have done everything that science and medical capabilities allow. However, in the next moment the miracle of life must happen."
According to him, the patient's faith plays a key role in the recovery process:
"There is a maxim that in the room are the patient, the doctor, the disease and God. And if the patient chooses and believes that he will recover, things get easier. Faith and the desire to live are a huge part of the recovery process, because doctors are not God."
Despite the efforts of the doctors, not all cases end successfully – something that weighs heavily on the doctors:
"A doctor is expected to be strong and controlled, but each doctor experiences every failure in his own way. For him, success is a saved life. It is hardest when these are young people - when their lives are ahead of them."
Dr. Dimitrov emphasized that the hospital operates under the conditions of general problems in the healthcare system:
"Pirogov" operates under the same conditions in which the entire healthcare system in the country operates. It is easiest to start blaming ourselves, it is more difficult to look for options in which to improve what we have with the available funds."
However, the financial situation of the hospital is stable:
"We do not owe money to anyone, we pay salaries and we have the necessary resources to ensure the health of every citizen who enters the hospital, without having to look for essential medicines."
The main problem remains the underfunding of certain activities and the remuneration of the staff:
"Doctors, nurses and orderlies deserve a decent salary. These are the people who make the hospital and healthcare work. To keep them, we must give them conditions to develop and not think about their everyday problems."
As a hospital of strategic importance, "Pirogov" maintains constant readiness for emergencies:
"Pirogov" is an object of Bulgaria's national security. We are ready 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to meet disasters, accidents, serious catastrophes and, God forbid, situations close to military conflicts."
Dr. Dimitrov sent a personal message related to the holidays and modern challenges:
"My prayer for Bulgaria is that there will be no war. There is nothing worse than war and losing the youngest and healthiest people. Crises pass, but war is the nightmare of modern times."
The doctors at "Pirogov" will be at their workplaces during the Easter holidays, as workload is traditionally expected.