[CLSTR]
< Back to situation

[REVISION HISTORY]

Bulgarian healthcare safety and oversight initiatives

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-06 14:35 UTC → 2026-10-07 13:15 UTC · added removed

Bulgaria has initiated several measures to address concerns regarding medical safety, consumer risks, and the management of healthcare resources. Initially, healthcare professionals and the Deputy Minister of Health launched the ‘Health Without Risk’ campaign. This initiative was prompted by data showing that approximately 39% of Bulgarians rarely or never consult professionals before using advertised medicines or supplements, with many purchasing products from unverified sources. supplements. Concurrently, the Commission for Consumer Protection began monitoring over-the-counter medicine pricing to address discrepancies. pricing. Following a police and prosecutor operation at St. George University Hospital in Plovdiv, the Ministry of Health expanded its oversight by launching nationwide inspections across all 28 provinces. These inspections, ordered by Health Minister Katya Ivkova, focus on the quality of medical care and the appropriate use of public funds. Investigations at the Plovdiv hospital revealed massive fraud involving fictitious hospitalizations. Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev reported that 15 ‘phantom patients’ were recorded as being in inpatient care despite not being physically present, costing the state approximately 7,500 euros per day. Authorities are investigating have uncovered further systemic irregularities, including the storage and traceability manipulation of medicinal products, clinical trial results for medications and the use diversion of barcode tracking expensive drugs to verify drug dispensing, secondary markets abroad. The Ministry of Health, the Executive Agency for Medical Supervision, and the Bulgarian Drug Agency are now focusing on the traceability and storage of high-cost therapies. Additionally, officials are investigating the potential irregularities in outpatient misuse of medical documentation related to sick leaves and TELK disability assessments decisions to prevent further damage to the misuse of public resources. national budget and ensure patient safety.

Versions

  1. 2026-10-07 13:15 UTC Bulgarian healthcare safety and oversight initiatives
  2. 2026-10-06 14:35 UTC Bulgarian healthcare safety and oversight initiatives

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.