Dr Miroslav Obreykov, the new chief executive of Burgas University Hospital (UMBAL Burgas), wants a completely new emergency department built to modern standards before his term ends. He told Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) this days after he was formally elected.
His other priorities are better patient care, stable finances and keeping staff.
The new emergency department is the hospital's biggest project. The Ministry of Health has held the project since 2018, but no money has been secured for it so far.
Dr Obreykov said the plan is not just a cosmetic refit. It includes new rooms that meet emergency medicine standards and a three-level triage system, meaning patients will be sorted by urgency on three levels. The department will take the place of part of the current emergency reception area. It will be bigger and have extra separate rooms.
The hospital's biggest problem is a shortage of staff, mostly nurses, midwives and lab technicians. "We are in debt to our health care specialists," the director said.
He said the hospital is doing all it can to improve working conditions and pay for all staff. Doctors earn more than the agreed rates. The hospital draws in and keeps people with cash bonuses and extra benefits, and its collective labour agreement gives staff a class and longer leave on top of their pay.
The hospital is now equipping its neurology wards and buying new machines and scanners with money from the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The other wards are being renovated in stages.
The director thinks most money is now needed for everyday living conditions. The hospital is big and covers a large area, so repairs will go in small steps, one ward at a time. "The small things get left aside, but the patient sees them most, the bed, the living conditions," Dr Obreykov said.
He warned that fixing them will not happen in "one, two, three, five months". The council and the mayor personally back the hospital in this.
On 2 November we reported that UMBAL Burgas was the only regional hospital to take part in the 14th International Academy for Midwives in Sofia. It presented two papers, including one on natural birth after a caesarean section.
The director said the hospital's finances are stable. In winter, heating and energy costs strain the budget, but the hospital has the means to treat patients as normal through the cold months.