The aging population in Bulgaria is increasing and we will have an increasing need to provide care for the elderly and people with disabilities. This was stated by the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Natalia Efremova during a meeting of the Interdepartmental Working Group for the Deinstitutionalization of Care for the Elderly and People with Disabilities. She recalled that the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy is implementing a large-scale reform in the field of social services for long-term care, which envisages reforming the existing municipal homes for the elderly and building nearly 200 new social services.
The new social infrastructure is being built with funding under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the "Regional Development" Program, and the provision of the services themselves is provided with funds under the "Human Resources Development" Program. “This is the reform for the deinstitutionalization of care for the elderly in Bulgaria, which is one of the most visible because it covers extremely severe cases and people who depend on state assistance“, emphasized Minister Efremova. She also emphasized the importance of services in the home environment, such as support from personal assistants and the provision of mobile integrated social and health-social services, which are a prevention of institutionalization.
During the meeting, a report on the implementation of the National Strategy for Long-Term Care for 2025 was approved. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Health Katya Ivkova, the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Nadya Klisurska and representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the Social Assistance Agency and the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria.
The report on the implementation of the National Strategy for Long-Term Care shows that in 2025, 9 new social services for day and residential care were created, which provide support for nearly 220 people with disabilities. Last year, regulatory changes were also undertaken to improve the quality and control in the field of social services. With the active participation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, amendments to the Criminal Code have been developed and adopted. They regulate criminal liability for persons who have endangered the health and life of people by providing them with social services without a license.