Young doctors are renewing their protests with a national demonstration in Sofia on October 20. The protest will start at 6:00 PM in front of the Ministry of Health, after which the participants will march to the National Assembly.
The action is organized by the Future in Bulgaria initiative under the title "Aren't you uncomfortable?". In their position, the young doctors state that they have heard from the Prime Minister that medical students and young doctors are a national priority, but they expect these words to be followed by concrete decisions.
„A national priority is not stated only with words, it is proven with actions“, the organizers state.What are the demands
Among their main demands are a working portal for specializations, electronic records for residents and changes in the way in which the remuneration of medical specialists is determined. They want the basic salaries to be high enough and not depend primarily on the amount of reported activity.
The young doctors also insist on incentives that would encourage medical students and graduates to choose their professional development in Bulgaria. The position also raises the issue of lower co-payments by patients and a change in the model in which quantitative indicators have greater weight than the quality of medical care.
The dispute over salaries continues
The protest is the next stage in the ongoing dispute over salaries and working conditions in healthcare. On October 28, 2025, the National Assembly rejected three bills related to the introduction of minimum salaries for doctors and nurses on second reading. The government then stated that they would seek a solution through the 2026 National Health Insurance Fund budget.
In October 2026, Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated that the commitment to young doctors to receive better conditions for their career in Bulgaria would also be included in the 2027 budget. The statement was made at the graduation of the “Dental Medicine” class at the Medical University of Plovdiv.
However, the organizers of the protest state that they will not give up on their demands and will continue to monitor the actions of the institutions. They define the upcoming demonstration as a reminder of the promises made and insist on deadlines, mechanisms and real changes, not just political declarations.