Healthcare in Bulgaria

Health care system in Bulgaria is based on state owned hospitals and compulsory health care monthly payment, based on the amount of your official salary. It works pretty well, as long as you have found a good doctor for your problem.
Once you have aproblem, then you go to your GP. The GP either prescribes you some medications, if it is a minor problem, or issues a document, called "napravlenie" which is actually an official paper for the relevant medical professional e.g. ginecologist, oncologyst, etc. This paper allows you to have a free examination with the relevant professional. so far the health care is almost free of charge. Some of the actual treatment is also free of charge, and is covered by the state.
Otherwise, you coul have a priviate haelth insurance. It is not very expensive and provides good quality for your money. The inconvenience here i that you cannot stop payig the state haelt care amount, onthe one hand, and on the other, that the private medical insuarance might not be possible to use in small cties/villages or in certain private hospitals.

Hi kristiann,

Thank you for your contribution.

Hi,

In order to help expats and soon-to-be expats, we would like to invite you to share your experience on this topic, with updated info on the healthcare system.

Thank you in advance,

Julie
Expat.com Team

My impressions about Bulgarian doctors are really good.

I can tell, I met a very skilled smatologist in Bulgaria with good equipment and materials. She remade evething with my teeth, corrected all the mistakes of Russian and Maltese specialists. Thanks to her I am still with my 32 teeth.

Ones had to go to a surgeon in Bulgaria, when I twisted my ankle. Was really impressed with a very good attitude, fast X-ray and assistance.

I can't confirm this for certain but it works something like that:

If you're employed your employer has the obligation to pay you your potential medical expenses. The medical expenses are limited and you can't expect complex surgery to be paid by the employer but simple things such as dentist, roentgen photography, giving blood etc can be covered by the "osigurovki"(known in bulgarian).

There is massive brain-drain of doctors though. The salaries are low even for surgeons and many of them immigrate to western europe and as a result some folks forecast that bulgaria will be without doctors in say 20 years or so.

The system isn't too efficient either. Most hospitals are poorly maintained with lack of hygiene and few beds/capita.
Sure it's better than Siera Leone I am sure but that's not saying something...

With that being said: there are a couple of private hospitals that are as good as western ones. if you have the money you can feel safe there.

Just give me one state healthcare system in Europe that is not underfunded.
Yes, I agree that some of the facilities are more than poor, bad state of repair, lack equipment but certainly in my opinion not expertise.
I have encountered both sides, state hospitals and private medical care through my western employer in Sofia.
My treatment was always good in either, although nothing serious occurred. At the very least I did not have to wait for a simple doctors appointment for 5 working days, in Sofia I was always seen next day.
Please go on, try this anywhere in the UK. One occasion when I slipped and fell badly, went to hospital and was seen within the hour.
I lived in both Germany and UK and had the misfortune of there too going to hospital although not for myself. I will not elaborate how long we waited, lets just say a damned while longer than this.
So, no qualms about the service in Bulgaria..hell, its free...or almost!

...the key is to have high quality healthcare professionals in your personal network. e.g. my cousin-inlaw is a great doctor in Sofia so he cuts through the red tape fast and gets us GREAT healthcare... ANSWER: Make friends in the healthcare industry...

Great idea mate, just a tiny bit of a language problem here.
The dentist I used, both spoke great English.
My doctors though, in the private clinic none did, made explaining systems a trifle difficult.
The hospital was an even greater challenge, had to find the right place first.
Have you tried to explain systems when you don't speak a common language, I can assure you it is a challenge.
And as I speak 3 languages already, sadly not Bulgarian,