site.btaAging Population Increases Need for Elderly, Disability Care - Social Minister Efremova

Demand for care for older people and people with disabilities is growing as Bulgaria’s population ages, Labour and Social Policy Minister Nataliya Efremova said on Tuesday. She spoke at a meeting of the Interdepartmental Working Group on the Deinstitutionalization of Care for Older People and People with Disabilities, the Ministry’s press service said.

Health Minister Katya Ivkova and Deputy Labour and Social Policy Minister Nadya Klisurska attended, along with representatives of the Finance Ministry, the Regional Development and Public Works Ministry, the Social Assistance Agency and the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria.

Efremova said the Labour and Social Policy Ministry was carrying out a large-scale reform of long-term-care services. It included reforming existing municipal care homes for older people and creating nearly 200 new social services. The new facilities are being financed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the Programme Development of Regions 2021-2027, while the services themselves will be financed under the Human Resources Development Programme 2021–2027.

“This reform deinstitutionalizes care for older people in Bulgaria. It is one of the most visible reforms because it supports people with particularly complex needs who depend on state assistance,” Efremova said. She also noted the importance of home-based services, including support from personal assistants and mobile integrated health and social services, which help prevent institutionalization.

The working group approved a report on the implementation of the National Strategy for Long-Term Care in 2025. Nine new day-care and residential services were established during the year to support nearly 220 people with disabilities.

Regulatory changes were also introduced to improve quality and oversight in social services. These included Penal Code amendments introducing criminal liability for anyone who endangers people’s health or lives by providing social services without a licence.