Assoc. Prof. Okoliyski is the new Minister of Health in the caretaker cabinet

The caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, appointed by President Iliana Iotova, presented his selection of ministers for the caretaker cabinet. Assoc. Prof. Mikhail Okoliyski, PhD, has been nominated as caretaker Minister of Health upon the proposal of caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov.

Okoliyski is a public health specialist, university lecturer, and expert with professional experience in both Bulgarian institutions and the structures of the World Health Organization. He graduated in social therapy from the Humboldt University of Berlin in 1995, and in 1998, he defended a doctoral degree in sexology.

Between 1990 and 1998, he worked in Germany in the field of mental rehabilitation, where he gained practical experience with European models of mental health care. After returning to Bulgaria, he became actively involved in scientific and expert activities at the National Center for Public Health and Analyses, where he is an associate professor and heads the Mental Health department, participating in the development of national programs, policies, and epidemiological research.

Since 2014, he has been part of the Bulgarian office of the World Health Organization, subsequently taking over its leadership. In parallel, he teaches sexology and reproductive health at the South-West University “Neofit Rilski” and is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Network for Mental Health Service Evaluation (ENMESH).