On January 8 2008, part of the pharmacies in Bulgaria would close between noon and 1pm as a protest against what was referred to as the unclear policy of the Health Ministry, which “hindered a normal functioning of the pharmaceutical sector,” a Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union media statement said.

Information on the nearest open drugstore would be posted on the doors of the pharmacies which closed, investor.bg said.

Pharmacists said that the Health Ministry avoided a discussion on the most important regulative changes in the sector, such as the regulation for control and registration of medicine prices.

As a result, the surplus charges included in the law could not be introduced in pharmacies that worked with the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), because the NHIF medicine list was different from the one in the new regulations.

The situation was not expected to change for at least another several months, unions said, forcing pharmacies to sell medicines at old prices, thereby violating regulations.