Budget 2026: Junior doctors to receive minimum salaries of €1,860, nurses from €1,550

€260 million has been allocated for young medical professionals in the NHIF budget for next year. Junior doctors will receive a minimum remuneration of €1,860 starting in 2026, while nurses and midwives will receive €1,550. This was announced following a meeting of the Supervisory Board of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) by the Chairman of the Board, Yavor Penchev, and the Governor of the Fund, Assoc. Prof. Petko Stefanovski.

To this end, €260 million has been earmarked in the draft 2026 NHIF budget to support junior doctors and medical specialists. The decision was reached during a joint management meeting, with the formal proposal submitted by the Ministry of Health.

The funds will be provided via a transfer from the central budget and will not utilize health insurance revenues. They will be allocated as a separate line item within hospital care, with the specific categories of doctors to be detailed in an annex to the budget.

“We have political consensus, and I believe the budget will be adopted in this form by the National Assembly,” stated Yavor Penchev.
“The funds are targeted and guaranteed—they will go directly to junior doctors and medical specialists,” added Assoc. Prof. Petko Stefanovski.

The total NHIF budget for 2026 amounts to €5.537 billion, representing a 14% increase compared to 2025.
“We have attempted to maintain the distribution of funds as it was during the current year. There is a growth of between 6% and 9% across all line items,” specified the Governor of the Fund.

Negotiations with the Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) are forthcoming regarding the specific distribution of funds and the determination of prices and volumes for clinical pathways.