Vice President Iotova Opens Round Table on Children's Health

Metodi Yordanov

BTA Photo

Sofia,

06.02.2024 12:42

(BTA)

"We still cannot make Bulgarian healthcare equally accessible to all children in the country," Vice President Iliana Iotova said here on Tuesday at the opening of a round table dedicated to Bulgarian children's health.

The access to healthcare, to paediatricians in Bulgaria is not the equal and the regional imbalances deserve attention, she said and pointed out that the fastest depopulating region in the EU is the Smolyan region (South Bulgaria).

The overall assessment of the State's and insititutions' care for children in 2022 is 3.33 (on a scale from 2 to 6, with 2 being failing and 6 being excellent), she said, citing data from the National Ntework for Children. This figure has not changed for 12 years, Iotova added. Breaking this figure down into different profiles, it appears that in 2023 there is a decline in child health care and the index for them is 2.98, which is the lowest in the last 10 years, Iotova added.

The national children's hospital must be built, Iotova added. Another key problem is the epidemic of alcohol, tobacco, drugs and synthetic drugs use, Vice President Iotova said, citing data showing that 80% of students have tried alcohol and 30% have tried synthetic drugs.

/RY/