Ministry of Health Discusses Electronic Platform for Medical Residency Vacancies

The Minister of Health, Assoc. Prof. Mikhail Okoliyski, and Deputy Minister Dr. Petar Gribnev met with young doctors from the “Future in Bulgaria” initiative committee to discuss the challenges facing medical residents and opportunities to improve the conditions for obtaining a medical specialty in the country. This was announced by the Ministry of Health.

One of the primary ideas discussed during the meeting was the creation of a unified electronic platform to publish medical residency vacancies across the country in real-time. Currently, training facilities announce positions through Regional Health Inspectorates (RHIs), forcing candidates to monitor the websites of all RHIs individually.

The young doctors also raised issues regarding access to specialization, the transparency of competitive selection processes, and working conditions. They highlighted that competitions are often announced without clearly defined deadlines, evaluation criteria, or examination formats as a significant problem.

During the meeting, the need for amendments to Ordinance No. 1 on obtaining a specialty in the healthcare system was discussed, with particular attention given to Article 17, which regulates the announcement and filling of vacant positions for medical residents.

Other topics discussed included the remuneration of medical residents, the “Promoting Specialization in Specialties and Regions with a Shortage of Specialists” project, conditions for specializing in narrow pediatric fields, and opportunities for digitizing administrative processes related to residency.

“Young doctors need to know where residency vacancies are available and the conditions under which they can apply. This is a matter of transparency and fairness,” stated Assoc. Prof. Okoliyski.

He added that the Ministry of Health will continue its dialogue with young doctors and will establish a working group to prepare proposals for amendments to Ordinance No. 1, which will include representatives from the “Future in Bulgaria” initiative committee.