The Bulgarian Medical Union (BMU) wants real-time checks on public money spent on health care, so that every medical service that is reported and paid for can be traced, the professional body said.
The union says health minister Katya Ivkova's ministry has taken no concrete steps on the proposal, although the BMU has raised the issue with her many times since she took office.
The checks should cover everyone in the health system and follow public money all the way. The aim is for the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to pay only for medical care that was actually given and for drug treatment that was actually supplied.
The BMU does not object to inspections of hospitals and clinics, but wants real-time checks added to them. It says tension in the sector is rising, and inspections that come after the work is done and reported are no longer enough. The union says a mechanism is needed to stop public funds from being spent improperly before it happens.
The BMU believes the reforms are going in the wrong direction, because the proposals do not tackle the real problems of the system. It says only this kind of control protects insured patients, honest doctors and hospitals at the same time, and raises trust in the system.
The union points to nationwide surveys by the Trend agency, which it commissioned itself. In them, both citizens and doctors name better control of public money among the main issues facing the health system. The BMU says the expectations of both groups match and call for a clear answer.
The BMU urges the health ministry to stop delaying and start work on introducing the checks. If nothing is done, the union says it will seek a chance to put its case to a higher level of government.