MPs backed changes to the Health Act proposed by Progressive Bulgaria in a first reading, with 165 votes in favour, 6 against and no abstentions. Under the changes, interior ministry staff will be able to give first aid using automated external defibrillators kept in patrol cars.
This report follows our earlier story on defibrillators in interior ministry cars and access to NELK data. At that time, parliament's health committee backed two of the three bills to amend the Health Act, while the third did not get enough votes.
Police officers are the first to arrive at the scene of an incident, which is why the party proposed putting defibrillators in patrol cars, said Mesut Rushid of Progressive Bulgaria. He said that use of the devices by interior ministry staff would raise the success rate by 1%.
Modern defibrillators do not require special medical training, and they could save more lives, said Lachezar Ivanov of GERB-SDS. "It is enough to know left from right and follow the instructions the defibrillator gives," he added.
Petar Petrov of Vazrazhdane said the ruling party's bill made him suspect lobbying.
The chamber also unanimously backed, with 172 votes in favour, changes to the same law put forward by Democratic Bulgaria. They aim to close gaps in the electronic system for medical assessments and to make checks on unlawfully established permanent incapacity more effective.
Vazrazhdane's bill got 8 votes in favour, 20 against and 138 abstentions. It would restore the option of taking a person in an emergency straight to the nearest medical facility. Now, in an emergency, people call 112 and wait for an ambulance crew.
Vazrazhdane said it was bringing back a practice from 20 years ago. "Our bill allows the nearest medical facility to be contacted and notified, so that an ambulance does not arrive after 30 minutes," said Petar Petrov. The case he cited was of a man who died near the Sheynovo maternity hospital in Sofia after falling and hitting his head. According to Petrov, the ambulance arrived after 30 minutes.
Georgi Petrov of Progressive Bulgaria called the example an isolated case and added that he personally would go out to help. He said Vazrazhdane's change would not let doctors at a medical facility leave during working hours to help outside the hospital. He also said there is currently no rule that bans taking a person to the nearest medical facility in an emergency, nor any ban on giving first aid at an incident.
Alexander Simidchiev of Democratic Bulgaria said the earlier text of the law required everyone to notify the nearest emergency centre, hospital or police station, but not to transport the injured person. In his view, the new law did not change the procedure but routed it through the 112 phone line.
Lachezar Ivanov said Vazrazhdane's bill is not well drafted in legal terms, and that the change in the law is linked to the single European emergency number 112.