Bulgarian hospitals protest against healthcare reform

2010-02-23

A nationwide protest by medical staff at the 35 hospitals in Bulgaria was announced after a Parliamentary Health Committee rejected a draft proposal which suggested that the government is obliged to suspend the closure of community hospitals. The protest will, initially, be purely symbolic. There are plans to turn it into effective industrial action on 7 April, International Health Day. The institutions are demanding changes to Bulgaria’s on-going healthcare reform. Their main arguments concern the closure of municipal hospitals, many of which the Health Ministry aims to restructure into smaller, more efficient, emergency centres. Under the new health legislation, Bulgarian hospitals have to meet various strict criteria pertaining to staff numbers and qualifications, 24-hour working days and equipment.