AGP Executive Report
Last update: 9 hours agoParliament & NHIF: Bulgaria’s Parliament approved the 2026 National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) budget bill at first reading, with EUR 5.256B in revenue and transfers and a planned 8.5% rise in spending, keeping the health contribution rate at 8% (60/40 employer-employee). EU Health & Policy: The EU Council adopted country-specific recommendations for Bulgaria, urging tighter control of the deficit path, targeted energy-price support, stronger tax collection to fight the shadow economy, and faster Recovery and Resilience reforms. Emergency Care: Bulgaria’s helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) completed five missions in under 48 hours, including rescues in the Rila area, airlifts from serious road crashes, and transfers of critically ill children between hospitals. Healthcare Transparency: NHIF leadership met the founder of the Diagnosis Bulgaria platform to discuss how public healthcare spending data is analyzed and how to improve context for more reliable interpretations. Hospital Capacity Snapshot: Eurostat data shows Bulgaria has the highest hospital beds ratio in the EU (870 per 100,000), while Cyprus recorded 3,211 beds in 2024 (329 per 100,000), still below the EU average. Health & Society Watch: The Ombudsman reported a rise in complaints in 2025–2026, with recurring issues tied to utilities and heating, and warned that systemic problems need state-level strategy.
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