[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”!!! PLEASE DO NOT EDIT !!!” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”!!! PLEASE DO NOT EDIT !!!” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – SUMMARY – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your summary. The summary condenses the main points for the news that starts below. The summary is in bold and not longer than 300 characters, including spaces. The counter at the bottom can help.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Bulgaria\u2019s doctors\u2019 union warns a rural health project funded by EU money will fail, as practices are staffed by nurses unable to use planned equipment. Nearly 800,000 lack GP access, while low pay drives staff shortages. Protests loom as doctors and nurses demand higher wages.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – TEXT OF THE NEWS – BLOCK 1 – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your news. PLEASE USE ONLY THE FEATURED IMAGE FUNCTION on your right column to add the image.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||1em||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Bulgaria\u2019s national doctors\u2019 union has sharply criticized the government for mismanaging EU healthcare funds, warning that a key project to establish medical practices in rural areas risks failure. According to Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) president Nikolay Branzalov, the Ministry of Health\u2019s plan to open 100 healthcare practices in small towns and villages, scaled down from an earlier promise of 300 due to staff shortages, is poorly designed and unlikely to deliver results.<\/p>\n The programme, with a budget of \u20ac4.131 million, allocates only \u20ac41,000 per practice\u2014mainly for staff salaries\u2014while medical equipment and supplies worth over \u20ac38 million are expected to be covered through the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility. However, Branzalov argued that the practices will be staffed largely by nurses and paramedics rather than general practitioners, meaning they cannot legally prescribe treatments, issue prescriptions, or operate advanced equipment such as ECG machines or defibrillators. He accused the government of prioritizing EU fund absorption over improving healthcare access, saying resources would be better spent on essentials like ambulances and intensive care vehicles.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, access gaps remain severe in Bulgaria. Nearly 800,000 citizens across 3,891 settlements have no local general practitioner, with many doctors clustered in urban centers. One GP currently serves 1,711 patients, above the national minimum target of 1,650. Incentives for rural postings have had little effect, with just 34 new practices opened in two years.<\/p>\n The rural health initiative comes amid wider discontent in Bulgaria\u2019s healthcare sector. Low salaries for nurses and junior doctors are fueling staff shortages, as many earn under \u20ac1,000 per month. Medical workers are demanding wages set at 150% of the national average (\u20ac1,900), a change that could increase healthcare spending by up to \u20ac1.1 billion. Parliamentary debates on the issue are expected in September.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – TEXT OF THE NEWS – BLOCK 2 – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your news. PLEASE USE ONLY THE FEATURED IMAGE FUNCTION on your right column to add the image.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bulgaria\u2019s doctors\u2019 union warns a rural health project funded by EU money will fail, as practices are staffed by nurses unable to use planned equipment. Nearly 800,000 lack GP access, while low pay drives staff shortages. Protests loom as doctors and nurses demand higher wages. Bulgaria\u2019s national doctors\u2019 union has sharply criticized the government for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2098,"featured_media":987786458,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3046,133],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987786455"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2098"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=987786455"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987786455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":987786473,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987786455\/revisions\/987786473"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/987786458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=987786455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=987786455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=987786455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}