The conditions between private and public hospitals must be equalized in relation to drug tenders. This is a step in the right direction. The problem is not only with drugs, but also with equipment - everything that concerns public procurement. This was stated by former Health Minister Dr. Mimi Vitkova in the program “Face to Face“ on BTV.
No one in Bulgaria cares about the price of medical devices. There are no attempts to change things, she noted.
According to her, the financial interests in healthcare are large, which is why politicians are turning a blind eye.
"How long can we finance the continuous increase in hospital care, which is absolutely unnecessary? We have built a system that itself stimulates excessive hospitalizations, concentrated in large cities. Will we have public healthcare or not?", Vitkova asked.
The medicines that the Fund pays for are not few. A price can be set for the manufacturer and a maximum commercial markup. Mechanisms can be found, but there is no political will, the former Minister of Health pointed out.
There is no other country in the world where co-payments in healthcare are of such magnitude. We have let the system develop on a purely market principle, without caring for patients, she summarized.
The healthcare system and the thinking of those working in it have changed very severely. We see severe wage ranges in it. Medicine is a team activity. We indicate some salaries, but we do not comment on additional material incentives. There should not be such large ranges. When there are no solutions, problems accumulate, emphasized Mimi Vitkova.
I expect to see a clear program of what the government intends to do in healthcare. For now, I do not see a strategy. The decisions in the healthcare system are long-term. If we decide to keep the health contribution, so as not to burden citizens and businesses, but we want to build more structures, such as the Health Fund, we must know that the great advantage of many health funds is the increased control. Now it is absolutely uncontrolled. It is necessary to build a very serious administrative capacity, two funds must be built, if something happens to one, the other will guarantee the funds. All of these are major investments, she added.