site.btaHealth Minister Accepts Resignation of Public Board for Construction of National Children's Hospital

Health Minister Silvi Kirilov accepted the collective resignation of the members of the Public Board for the project to build a National Children's Hospital, the Health Ministry announced on Thursday.

Earlier today, the Public Board for the Construction of a National Children's Hospital announced that it would resign. "Over the years, we have made many compromises, worked with several ministers and made compromises but what we could not accept was the limited access to information," Board Chair Prof. Ivan Litvinenko said.

The Health Ministry's position states that the Public Board is a form of public engagement with a sensitive and long-awaited national project. However, the ministry explains that the advisory function of this body does not include ongoing operational reporting and control powers.

“A project of this scale requires work on multiple parallel lines and does not allow for reporting after each working meeting and operational activity,” the statement further notes.

The ministry adds that institutional accountability is carried out in accordance with established procedures through regular meetings, the provision of official documents, interim results, and public stages of implementation.

“The suggestions of a lack of transparency do not contribute to achieving a better result and have the potential to increase public distrust of a project that Bulgarian citizens have expected from the government for years.”

The Health Ministry states that the project is progressing within the specified deadlines in compliance with the Public Procurement Act, the Health Act, and the applicable technical and financial rules. At this stage, work is being carried out in parallel in several key areas, formalising the design assignment, securing infrastructure, analysis of financing, holding meetings with managers of medical establishments and paediatric facilities in Sofia.

“With regard to the request for advance disclosure of the technical specifications, the Health Investment Company for Children's Hospital complies with the explicit Public Procurement Agency opinion, according to which such action is contrary to the law. The restriction is regulatory, not organizational, and therefore cannot be interpreted as a lack of transparency,” the statement reads.

The National Children's Hospital project is long-term, and not all issues have been finalized, but progress is measurable and traceable. The public will continue to be informed at every key stage of the project's implementation.

The Health Ministry expresses its gratitude to the members of the Public Board for their time, expertise, and professional commitment in their joint work so far.