The restrictive measures and the partial lockdown due to COVID-19 should be extended at least one week after the New Year’s Day, suggested the Director of the National Health Insurance Fund Prof. Petko Salchev during a briefing of the Ministry of Health with representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Bulgarian Medical Union and general practitioners.
According to Prof. Salchev, this is necessary because immediately after the New Year holidays a series of name days begins. On January 1, Bulgarians celebrate St. Basil’s Day, January 6 is Jordan’s Day, and on January 7, half of Bulgaria celebrates St. John’s Day. The worries are that then there is a high risk of gathering a lot of celebrants and spreading the infection. For his part, the Chairman of the BMA – Dr. Ivan Madzharov stated:
„My professional opinion is at least a week after the New Year holidays, because then they coincide with other holidays – not to burden the system. We continue to work with the NHIF and must sign the annex to the National Framework Agreement. In the second place, a decision was made retroactively, from November 1, for health care professionals who are on an employment contract to receive BGN 360 each. We insist on not easing the measures before the holidays, because any loosening will be risky for the health system and we may find ourselves in an even more difficult situation after the New Year’s Day. We will not be able to take care not only of COVID-19 patients, but also of all patients. We also support antigen testing to be reported in patient statistics. We need to keep the levels of the sick and those entering the intensive care units. If this does not happen, we will come to those incidents that we heard about and watched in Italy in the spring – to turn off a device of a patient to save another patient. I can’t say when the measures should be relaxed, because if I say a certain date, I will let you down.“
The Minister of Health Kostadin Angelov did not comment on the idea, but promised that the decisions for easing the measures will be made with reason, not with emotion, as well as by listening entirely to the opinion of the experts. He added:
„Thanks to Madzharov. A meeting of the Supervisory Board of the National Health Insurance Fund will be held today and I am convinced that the decision will be made at it that the healthcare professionals will also receive BGN 360 each. They are also very active in the fight against the coronavirus.“
