BMA: Investing in Young Professionals and Targeted Funding for Underdeveloped Regions, Not Replacing the Healthcare Model

The Bulgarian Medical Association states that the promises in the now-withdrawn budget were unrealistic, unfeasible, and ignored vital healthcare sectors. According to the organization, these promises only led to unnecessary tension within the profession. The position was prompted by escalating dissatisfaction caused by proposals in the withdrawn drafts for the state budget, the NHIF budget, and the Social Security budget for 2026, which directly impact remuneration within the system.

“The era of budget-guaranteed salaries, unrelated to actual work, qualifications, and workload, ended more than 25 years ago. Today, payment is made for actual activities performed,” the BMA emphasized. According to them, it is inefficient to return to a model of equalization and unconditional “per capita” distribution, or to undermine the established mechanism for funding medical facilities.

The organization adds that anyone who prefers a secure state salary has the opportunity to work in structures funded directly by the Ministry of Health. Attempts to extend this approach to the entire system create a sense of injustice, disrupt the balance, and lead to fragmentation within the sector.

The BMA points out that real problems—such as staff shortages, low remuneration, lack of predictability and sustainability for young doctors and healthcare professionals, and uneven territorial distribution of personnel—can only be solved through consistent state policy.

In this regard, the Union proposes sustainable solutions: targeted support for young doctors in the first years of their specialization and for healthcare professionals at the start of their professional path—a measure they define not as discrimination, but as a strategic investment. For medical professionals in demographically vulnerable and economically underdeveloped regions, the BMA proposes that the state allocate additional resources and provide targeted funding for salaries to ensure decent working conditions and sufficient staffing.

In conclusion, the organization emphasizes that the sustainable development of the healthcare system cannot be achieved through mechanical solutions or equalization, but through long-term policy and a strategic approach based on a clear distribution of resources, roles, and responsibilities. Only in this way can stability, quality, and the protection of public health be guaranteed.