Medicine of contrasts. How is the treatment in Bulgaria?

Why do some people praise Bulgarian medicine, while others complain about the incompetence of doctors and the unhygienic conditions in the clinics? The main thing is that both patients are telling the truth because everything depends on the institution and the doctor you are lucky enough to get.

For example, a public state insurance doctor may be the best specialist in the country, while a private doctor can be nasty for money. The good news is that the patient has a choice. And the first piece of advice for anyone who ended up in Bulgaria and needs medical care is to look at reviews of specific specialists. There is even a special website for this purpose – https://superdoc.bg/.

Olena Smilik, a volunteer living in Bulgaria, spoke about the system of state insurance in Bulgaria and the peculiarities of the medical system.

How does the healthcare system work?

All medical care in Bulgaria is paid for, except for emergency care. The “Zdravna Kassa” (Healthy Kassa), a state insurance system, helps to save money. In return, the patient gets the right to use medical care, if not for free, then at a great discount.

“Children under 18 and pensioners have to pay the minimum price for a doctor’s visit,” – says volunteer Olena.

The state insurance must be paid monthly because if there is a debt, medical services will only be available once it is paid in full. Only Ukrainian citizens, residents, and foreigners with a residence permit can apply for state insurance. This list has now been expanded to include Ukrainians with temporary protection status in Bulgaria. In addition, the first three months after arrival and registration of temporary protection, insurance for the Ukrainians is paid by the state.

What should you know about your general practitioner?

Choosing a family doctor is a must, and you should do it as carefully as possible. After all, you can change your doctor only twice a year in June and December. But the whole treatment depends on the competence and availability of your doctor. Without a referral, all other services will be paid for.

In Bulgaria, it is difficult to find a family doctor in small towns, where there is not much choice of doctors. Or there may be no specialist with such qualifications at all.

How to get an appointment with a specialist?

If you have a referral from your family doctor, visits to subspecialists are free. If you don’t have a GP or can’t wait, you can choose a doctor online or at a hospital, but you will have to pay. There are no waiting lists for narrow specialists in Bulgaria, unlike in many European countries. You also don’t have to pay for tests and examinations. But be prepared to be asked for reimbursement of the cost of consumables. They are not covered by insurance.

What about hospital treatment?

Free treatment is available at public medical facilities. You only have to pay a symbolic amount for a hospital stay, which is less than one euro per day. In many Bulgarian hospitals, patients are not fed, but there is usually a café on the premises where you can order food. Bulgaria also has several programs to help patients with complex diseases.

For example, oncology patients are provided with everything they need. A person does not have to arrange crowdfunding to buy the medicines on which his or her life depends.

Which medicines cannot be bought in Bulgarian pharmacies?

Most medicines are sold with a prescription, but small pharmacies can sell them without. However, there is one nuance: many medicines known in Ukraine are not available at all.

“I would recommend bringing medicines from Ukraine because they are more expensive here. Sedatives, vitamins, and some probiotics can be cheaper. In addition, some drugs familiar to us are not even sold here. There are analogs for certain categories of medicines, but often these are homeopathic medicines, the effectiveness of which has not been proven,”– says Olena.