More determined steps and more money are needed ro restructure the Ministry of Health (MH), new health Minsiter Evgenii Zhelev told an interview with private broadcaster bTV on April 25.

Zhelev also acknowledged the existence of a longstanding corruption problem in the healthcare system but warned against making generalisations about all doctors.

He said he would emphasise the importance of developing a national healthcare strategy and on the implementation of national health cards to all citizens.

Zhelev said he needed more resources to enforce necessary changes in the sector. He said that corruption has economic causes, citing the need for higher salaries and informing relevant state bodies on time about underhand practices.

According to Zhelev, the custom of giving non-regulated donations to hospitals must stop. These donations were merely a polite way to bribe doctors to do their job.
“This is a question of planning, financing and goodwill but it cannot continue like this," Zhelev said. He added that he would request more money for health care from the state.

According to Zhelev, doctors in Bulgaria are good professionals and, despite the poverty surrounding their profession, they “perform miracles”.

Commenting on the forthcoming doctors' strikes, Zhelev said that the doctors were intelligent people and were unlikely to be exploited for political purposes. He said he had already invited healthcare unions and their leaders to meetings in order to learn more about their grievances.