site.btaHealth Ministry Can Finance Regional Multidisciplinary Hospitals for Active Treatment, Parliament Decides

The Health Ministry will be able to finance regional multidisciplinary hospitals for active treatment, Parliament decided Friday with the adopted on the second reading amendments to the Medical Establishments Act. The amendments, proposed by GERB-UDF MP Kostadin Angelov, provide the legal possibility to subsidise regional multidisciplinary hospitals for active treatment.

According to the adopted texts, the Health Ministry will be able to finance regional multidisciplinary hospitals with one 100% state participation in the capital to maintain their readiness to provide medical assistance in emergencies, accidents and catastrophes, including and mainly to provide wages for staff and operating costs for providing electricity, water, heating.

Amendments to the Health Insurance Act, as set out in the transitional and final provisions of the Medical Establishments Act, were also adopted and voted on between the first and second readings.

According to the adopted provisions, when the term of office of the head of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has been terminated early by the National Assembly before the entry into force of the Health Establishments Act and no decision on the election of a new head has been adopted, the National Assembly adopts a decision on the election of a new head in accordance with the new procedure. The period within which the NHIF Supervisory Board assigns the NHIF deputy head to temporarily perform the function of manager was changed from 30 days to six months.