An e-prescription for antibiotics will also be available in the fall – the Ministry of Health promises
The permissible difference between the lowest and the highest salary in state hospitals is being discussed, not a “ceiling” of salaries, Health Minister Hristo Hinkov told journalists. The minister attended the celebration of the Day of Salvation, when honor is paid to medics, firefighters, policemen and volunteers who lost their lives while saving another, BTA reported.
They cut the salaries of doctors
We have not yet decided how the issue of the large difference in the salaries of doctors will be resolved, he added. Asked to clarify the issue of the “ceiling of wages” in hospitals, which he commented on earlier today in the media space, Minister Hinkov pointed out that there is no talk of a “ceiling” of wages, but of a “ceiling” in the margin between the lowest and the highest salary in hospitals . According to him, there cannot be a “ceiling” of salaries. The calculations are to be specified, as well as to discuss the topic with the Bulgarian Medical Union and the trade unions, he added.
The Ministry of Health aims to adopt the standards by the end of the year to reduce the salary gap for doctors. They will apply to medical facilities with over 51% state participation.
The question is to assess exactly what this margin will be, the lowest and the highest salary, the minister pointed out. He added that it is about the salary, not the income of the doctors, which is formed on the basis of the salary and additional practices and work. “The margins in these incomes are also huge, but they can hardly be regulated for the simple reason that some specialties are quite attractive and bring a large income”, said Hristo Hinkov.
“The problem with the unattractiveness of the medical profession is deepening over the years, and society must be aware of the main reasons for this,” commented the minister and listed as reasons the large volume of work and the high demands on specialists. “The salary, no matter how high, does not compensate for the exhaustion of the doctors, the nurses, the entire medical staff,” Hinkov pointed out.
According to Hinkov, nurses receive a fixed salary, but they do not have the opportunity to form an income like doctors. “More special attention should be paid to them. I have set it as a task. We intend to propose that they join the framework agreement, so that they feel more independent,” the minister also commented. He added that the healthcare reform should last at least four years.
An attempt to regulate the scissors in the salaries of the medical staff was also made under the regular government of Kiril Petkov, but it was blocked by court appeals.
The idea was to stimulate hospitals to raise the basic salaries of doctors and nurses to the minimum thresholds of the collective labor agreement: BGN 2,000 for a doctor, BGN 1,500 for a nurse and BGN 910 for an orderly. And the hospitals that do not receive less money from the NHIF for work on clinical pathways. However, the implementation of this concept remained wishful thinking and as a result only in only 26 out of a total of 181 state and municipal hospitals all medical staff receive basic monthly salaries according to the Collective Labor Agreement for the sector, recalls “Mediapool”.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, at the end of last year, the average basic salaries of doctors in the country ranged from slightly below 1,000 BGN to around 2,500 BGN. And the average gross salaries of doctors, which also include the additional material incentives, are much higher: from a little over 1,000 to nearly 7,000 BGN. These are average remunerations, i.e. there are also much higher remunerations in the sector. A smaller number of doctors from certain specialties also earn incomes of BGN 30-50 thousand per month.
The change in the salaries of Emergency Aid
It has not yet been specified how the additional funds for the emergency aid and for the regional health inspections will be distributed, as there is a difference in the categories, Minister Hinkov also said. A few days ago, when the budget for this year came into force, an additional 30 million BGN was provided. for emergency aid and for regional health inspections. He indicated that he was waiting for a meeting with the unions and expressed hope that the wage increase would take effect from August 1, when the new budget takes effect.
On July 17, Minister Hristo Hinkov announced that he would work in the 2024 budget to seriously increase the money for “Emergency Aid”. According to him, the funds should be increased by 15% – 20% in order to have a reform in line with the realities in developed countries.
In September, an electronic prescription for antibiotics
It is planned to introduce an electronic prescription for prescribing antibiotics in September, Minister of Health Hristo Hinkov told journalists. Minister Hinkov attended the celebration of the Day of Salvation, which honors the memory of medics, firefighters, policemen and volunteers who lost their lives while rescuing the injured. The possibility of electronic prescription of antibiotics has been developed, technological refinement is pending and its implementation is expected, he added. Minister Hinkov added that he had spoken with the chairman of the Bulgarian Medical Union and “their request is to have verification from both pharmacies and doctors, which is sufficient”.
The writing of electronic prescriptions, referrals for examination by a specialist and for hospitalization began last year. The possibility of prescribing some medications and on paper – a white prescription – remained in force. At the beginning of this year, the electronic writing of the protocols for dispensing medications for expensive home treatment, which are certified by the regional health insurance funds, also began. The goal is to make it easier for patients and doctors, as the introduction of electronic protocols eliminates the obligation of patients to visit health funds and submit medical documentation for protocol certification. Their commitment to store and provide the pharmacy with the paper protocols upon receipt of their prescribed medications was also dropped.
Electronic writing of yellow and green prescriptions, which contain drug therapies containing narcotic substances, has already been introduced.
8 laboratories examine the samples for alcohol and drugs
Minister Hinkov also said that there will be eight laboratories in Sofia and in the country, in which the samples will be examined for the presence of alcohol or drugs in the blood. His comment was about the small number of laboratories where these samples are tested. According to him, the possibility of the eight laboratories has been discussed with the Minister of the Interior and he is ready to solve the problem.
Regarding the pediatricians who left the hospital in Vratsa and the closure of the children’s department, Minister Hinkov said that the mayor of Vratsa assured him that he had convinced the pediatricians to return to work. This is a very big success, but temporary, because the problems have not been solved, they are yet to be solved, he added.