Doctors from two major hospitals protested on Thursday. They expressed dissatisfaction with the poor state of the healthcare system and the decreased wages.
More than 150 medics from Pirogov emergency institute and Aleksandrovska hospital protested yesterday, Dnevnik newspaper reported. Management teams of both hospitals failed to turn up during the protest.
The demonstrations are a part of the national protest labour union Podkrepa organised. If changes to the healthcare system are not implemented, protesters will move in front of the Cabinet building, union representatives said.
Under-funding and the lack of clarity on healthcare reforms produce negative effects on the work of doctors and on patient care, medics said. The state should aid hospitals by providing clear regulations and finding a solution to the hospital debts problem, protesters said.
A number of doctors and nurses from Aleksandrovska hospital receive salaries below the national minimum, union representative Teodora Vulcheva said.
The main reason for lower salaries is the new funding system. According to it wages are calculated for work done. This change will affect therapy, doctors said. In order to accept more patients, hospitals will be forced to release people whose treatment is still incomplete, doctors said.
