All trainee doctors will get a €350 grant in 2027, and the draft budget sets aside €30m for it, health minister Katya Ivkova said. She presented the ministry's plan for next year.

Trainee doctors funded by the state get €1,550.

What happened before: Ivkova: decision on health workers' pay will be published with 2027 budget

Ivkova said these trainees will now get the grant too, bringing the total to €1,900. The grant is tax-free. The minister said the people who work in the system are its most valuable asset.

"A country cannot function without good medical care," Ivkova said.

The 2027 budget sets aside just over €724m for health. Of this, €590m is for care for people without health insurance. The ministry will replace 13 ambulances with new ones.

Just over €14m is set aside for strategic investment. "We have included the hospital in Yambol, which has not opened its doors in 40 years," the minister said.

The plan also includes an upgrade of the health information system and steps to improve the quality of medical care. Ivkova said there must be money for prevention for children and adults, and for health administration.

Ivkova said she expects the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to show a rise in these items.