St Anastasia children's hospital in Burgas and the university hospital of Trakya University in Edirne will exchange doctors between Bulgaria and Turkey under a five-year agreement. A delegation from Edirne, led by rector Prof. Dr Mustafa Hatipler, visited the Burgas hospital today. See our original report: Burgas children's hospital to work with Trakya University in Edirne.
The agreement was signed in Edirne on 8 October. Hospital director Dr Blagomir Zdravkov spoke at the signing, and mayor Dimitar Nikolov attended.
Young doctors who trained in Edirne are already choosing the Burgas children's hospital to develop their careers. One of them, a young woman doctor, has joined the hospital team and wants to specialise in ophthalmology. Bulgarian doctors, in turn, will be able to train and share experience at the hospital in Edirne.
The agreement covers practical training, professional visits and clinical observation. Doctors, nurses and other health workers will take part in the exchange. The two hospitals also plan joint research and discussions of complex clinical cases.
The delegation includes leading specialists in paediatrics, paediatric surgery, emergency medicine and paediatric rehabilitation. The guests toured the hospital and saw how children are treated and examined. They were impressed by the modern equipment, the treatment conditions and the diagnostic options.
Prof. Hatipler said the guests wanted to take a step forward in health care for the people of the two fraternal nations and the two fraternal cities, Burgas and Edirne. He praised the new hospital, congratulated mayor Nikolov on building it and said the mayor deserves applause for his efforts. Referring to the applause for the mayor, the rector added: "Our children must be alive, our children must be healthy."
This is the Burgas children's hospital's first international partnership. "This agreement is the foundation for international cooperation at St Anastasia Children's Hospital. We hope it will start many successful joint projects," director Dr Blagomir Zdravkov said at the signing. He hopes the agreement will be the start of many successful joint projects to develop medicine and improve patient care.
St Anastasia has 142 beds and high-tech equipment for imaging, laboratory and functional diagnostics. The hospital has a contract with the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and admits children under clinical pathways, and its first patients have been discharged. About 3,000 children were examined free of charge before the hospital began admitting patients.
The two sides have yet to agree on the specific areas for exchanging specialists and the first practical training.