A resident of Sofia’s mainly Roma residential area of Fakulteta died after waiting for more than two hours for an ambulance after she had a stroke, bTV reported.

The woman could have been saved if the two hours had not been lost in waiting, doctors told relatives of the woman.

The relatives have accused the emergency centre of discrimination, and have asked the Health Minister to review the case. The emergency medical assistance centre in Bulgaria declined to comment.

Anka Metodieva (51) was found in the yard of her house by neighbours at about 5pm on August 3 after she had a stroke.

Her relatives and the neighbours called the Bulgarian medical hotline 150 at least 20 times.

After the ambulance arrived, the woman was taken to hospital, where she died.