Health Minister launches national inspections for emergency medical services

Minister of Health Katya Ivkova is initiating a large-scale series of inspections across the country, focused on sites under the project for modernizing the emergency medical services system. The main goal is to make a realistic assessment of progress, identify risks in implementation, and take timely actions to overcome them.

The inspections start at a key moment for the project, as the deadline for completing eligible activities is October 31, 2026.

So far, 136 sites have been completed and are operational. At the same time, 99 sites require urgent decisions due to difficulties in construction activities.

Of these, 40 are identified as impossible to realize under current conditions. For some of these cases, the Ministry of Health is proposing an alternative approach by changing the scope to routine repairs, following consultation with the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. This is expected to allow completion within two to three months.

The remaining 59 sites are in progress and will be subject to intensified daily control in order to complete them on time.

With European funding, 54 sites were realized by 2023, and another 25 have completed construction and a signed Act 15.

The first inspections have already taken place in Blagoevgrad, Kresna, Petrich, and Sandanski. Participants included District Governor Vasil Trendafilov and the Director of the Regional Health Inspectorate in Blagoevgrad, Dr. Kaloyan Kaloyanov. On-site, the progress, emerging problems, and necessary actions for the timely completion of the sites were analyzed.

The minister's tour will continue in other regions of the country, covering all sites in need of direct assessment and management decisions.

"I will not be guided only by reports. I want to see with my own eyes what has been done, what has stalled, and what needs to change. There must be a solution for every site, not an excuse. This is what people expect, and this is what we will do," Minister Ivkova stated.

After the completion of the inspections, specific actions will be taken to accelerate implementation so that the modernization of emergency services can be completed on time.

A total of 133,769,234.88 BGN in European funds have been paid out under the project. Of these, 61,365,935.91 BGN are for construction and repair activities, 20,707,340 BGN for medical equipment and apparatus, 48,671,650 BGN for the purchase of 400 new ambulances, and 3,024,308.97 BGN have been spent on supervision, audit, publicity, and management.

Since January 1, 2024, finishing construction activities have also been financed by the state budget with 45,279,000 BGN allocated under Decree 330/2023.