[size=75:qhqyq6jp]Focus news 26 January 2010

21 Bulgarian hospitals to be closed in February (ROUNDUP)

21 hospitals in Bulgaria do not meet a single criterion of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and have not announced they want to sign a contract on a clinical pathway. 50% of the hospitals is owned by the state and the other 50% – by the respective municipality, Ministry of Healthcare announced at a press conference, cited by FOCUS News Agency.
Some of these hospitals are in the municipalities of Chernozem, Radomir, Godech, Rudozem, Tran, Kula, Tsarevo. The full list of hospitals is available on the ministry’s website [url=http:
//www.
nhif.
bg/eng/default.
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The experts say none of the hospitals is at a distance of more than 50 kilometers. There is a medical center and diagnostic and consulting center on their territory. Emergency rooms will be opened on their territory.
The municipalities whose hospitals cannot sign a contract on in-hospital medical treatment will rely on out-of-hospital medical treatment, Minister of Healthcare Dr. Bozhidar Nanev said at a press conference, cited by FOCUS News Agency.
The minister called on the municipal councils to make a decision to restructure the hospitals they are principals of into medical centers, diagnostic and consulting centers so that they could use them in the out-of-hospital medical treatment.
The minister added that teams of the health ministry would visit the municipalities worried by the healthcare reform.
National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has signed contracts with 350 hospitals for in-hospital treatment, Ministry of Healthcare announced at a press conference, cited by FOCUS News Agency.
Zheni Nacheva, director of Budget and Financial Policy Directorate, said there are four major types of hospitals. Contracts have signed with 25 district hospitals (the first group), which cover 26% of hospitalizations and 26% of the funds. They signed only 8 contracts less with NHIF.
The second group includes 82 hospitals. They report more than 5,000 hospitalizations. These are the university hospitals. The first two groups meet the NHIF’s requirements and have 75% occupancy. 158 private, state and municipal hospitals report a drop of 48% in the number of contracts signed, because they do not live up to the requirement to be available 24 hours a day. The hospitals that have two contracts will not be able to continue, the minister said.
BGN 130 mln wil be saved from hospitals’ closure, deputy financial minister Vladislav Goranov announced, FOCUS News Agency reporter informs.
“National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has not envisaged funds for further treatment and long medical treatment. Clinical paths have been prepared but their financing will be approved in three to four months, after extra analysis,” health minister Bozhidat Nanev said.
52 hospitals respond to the criteria on 3 contracts only. The number of hospitals, which will sign between 4 and 20 contracts, is 107 in total. 52 hospitals, which respond to the criteria of the NHIF, will sign over 100 contracts and over 56 of the hospitalizations will be in these hospitals.
Moreover, the NHIF and the Regional Heath Insurance Center will check up on signed contracts with the heath insurance fund over the “double standards” used for some of the hospitals.
The number of contracts in 2010 is with 14% lower and the prognosticated share for hospitalization is 1 718 000-about 40 000 less than the last year.

[size=75:2l2452fb]novinite 15 February 2010

Bulgaria PM Announces Buffer Period for Failing Hospitals

Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov has stated that failing hospitals will get a 6 month or 1 year buffer period to improve.

Borisov was speaking after meeting with Directors of a large number of Bulgaria’s major hospitals regarding his center-right GERB government’s health reform plans. He said that the buffer period will apply to hospitals which don’t meet the criteria for ‘hospitals’, which are now emergency centers.

Borisov added that when hospitals run out of the money budgeted for them for 2010 the Bulgarian Parliament is ready to supply an extra BGN 300-400 from budget reserves for health services. "
We do not endanger the lives of our citizens. I am satisfied with this meeting. We have an understanding,"
he continued.

"
The goal of this reform is not to make savings. We are prepared to respond to what we expect as finished work. The point is to stop the cash leakage and maximize treatment for patients. We will listen to our partners,"
concluded Borisov.

I clicked onto the website but cant seem to find the list of hospitals closing.Has anyone had any success??