The protests of medics in Bulgaria against the gaps in the healthcare system were artificially caused, Health Minister Radoslav Gaidarski said.

A number of problems in the sector had to be dealt with, Gaidarski said. These problems, however, started much before the current Cabinet stepped in office.

Previously the debts of state-run hospitals reached 240 million leva, Gaidarski said. Medics should have started protests at that time, he said as quoted by Bulgarian news agency BTA.

Wages for some medical workers are really low, Gaidarski said. The problem affects mostly nurses in medical institutions for people with psychological problems and in haemodialisis centres.

A fast solution is hard to find, Gaidarski said. All decisions have to be based on the available budgetary resources.