ON November 9, Bulgaria’s Health Minister Professor Radoslav Gaidarski dismissed the executives of three hospitals, two in Sofia and one in Plovdiv.

Dismissed were Professor Aleksander Chirkov, head of St. Ekaterina Hospital; Vladimir Pilosov, head of the National Cardiology Hospital; and Dr. Stefan Dimov, head of St. George’s Hospital in Plovdiv.

According to Gaidarski, the removals happened because the boards that were managing the hospitals had accumulated large debts. He said their directors would be held responsible for the wrongfully used financial funds.

On November 4, Gaidarski presented results of a survey launched about the work of nine hospitals. The data showed that a total debt of 191 million leva of was accumulated by all Bulgarian hospitals, of which 109 million leva in debt was accumulated by only nine.

University Hospital St Ekaterina, headed by distinguished professor Alexander Chirkov, is one of the health institutions with high expenses. It accumulated 22 million leva worth of debt. Pirogov emergency hospital has debts of 17 million. The other major debtors are Saint George’s Hospital in Plovdiv, and the National Cardiology and Alexandrovska hospitals in Sofia.

The dismissed executives of the three hospitals said, after Gaidarski’s decision was announced on November 9, that he was personally and politically motivated. That is why he concentrated particularly on their three hospitals, while other facilities, which were also in debt, were left without sanctions.

Chirkov and Tabakov met the same day with President Georgi Purvanov who, after the meeting, said that he would initiate a wide forum on the progress of health reform.

The dismissal of prominent medic Chirkov caused public protests on November 11. Staff from his hospital protested against Gaidarski’s decision. Former and current patients of Chirkov also expressed their protest, together with several prominent public figures.

On November 11, the Cabinet released a media statement saying that it “supported all measures taken by the Ministry of Health and it has the will and the willingness to put order in the system”. All Cabinet ministers supported Gaidarski’s decision.

The measures he imposed were described as motivated only by the financial results of the hospitals and the debts that they have accumulated.

“Chirkov is a great professional, but poor manager,” said Gaidarski.

Purvanov, as well as the Association of the Private Hospitals and the Centre for Psychological Research, also supported Gaidarski.

As of 2006, the state budget will no longer cover the hospital debt.