site.btaCC–DB to Request Hearing of Health Minister Over Resignation of National Children’s Hospital Public Board

The Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC–DB) parliamentary group will request a hearing of Health Minister Silvi Kirilov and Deputy Health Minister Dobromira Kareva to clarify whether the technical documentation of the public procurement for the construction of the National Children’s Hospital was withheld from the Public Board. The announcement was made Thursday in Parliament by Yordan Ivanov, Deputy Chair of Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB) and CC–DB MP, after the resignation of the Public Board.

“If the documentation was indeed concealed, that alone is grounds for resignation,” Ivanov said, noting that the Public Board had publicly and transparently stressed that information had been withheld from them.

Ivanov called on Minister Kirilov to present a clear plan for how the hospital construction process will proceed. “The Public Council was the guarantor of transparency in this process. The resignation was accepted for reasons that remain unclear, instead of the responsible Minister offering an apology and ensuring the project moves forward. With this resignation, the entire process has been delegitimized,” he added.

Public Board Chair Prof. Ivan Litvinenko told BTA that the members were not provided with timely and sufficient information, while the Health Ministry maintains the opposite position. He added that efforts should have been made to ensure good communication with the Board, but sometimes they were given only 24 hours to review large volumes of information. According to Litvinenko, the Board learned about some project phases from media reports, he added.

The Health Ministry reported that Minister Kirilov has accepted the resignation of the Public Board members.