site.btaFormer Health Minister Kirilov Rejects Tenfold Price Claims

Former health minister Silvi Kirilov dismissed Wednesday claims that prices for screening tests in a public procurement procedure were inflated tenfold.

Kirilov responded to statements by caretaker Health Minister Michail Okoliyski earlier in the day that substantial overpricing had been identified in two Ministry of Health procurement procedures related to contracts for cervical and colorectal cancer research and screening.

Kirilov said the comparisons were between over-the-counter rapid pharmacy tests and the quantitative faecal immunochemical test (FIT) chosen for the national colorectal cancer screening programme. He said they use different technologies and belong to different classes of medical devices. He noted that pharmacy tests are qualitative, rely on a visual readout, and lack automation, calibration and assured laboratory traceability, raising the risk of false results in mass screening.

Kirilov said the quantitative FIT was a top-tier closed laboratory system. It allowed quantitative measurement, setting threshold values, used a standardized sampling system and met clinical laboratory requirements for automation and quality control. He added it outperformed gFOBT in specificity and clinical performance and did not require dietary restrictions. Kirilov said it was the internationally recommended standard under European guidelines, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Kirilov said the Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) had developed programme implementation algorithms that, for the first time in Bulgaria, met all European criteria and aligned with the IARC and WHO roadmap. He added they were presented at the 3rd EU Cancer Screening Report Workshop in February 2026.

He said the procedure was conducted under the Public Procurement Act, using the lowest-price criterion. The price covered all costs and was fixed for the term of the contract. Kirilov added there was no legal requirement for reference pricing for this class of devices.

Kirilov said a markup could be claimed only when comparing identical products with comparable characteristics, and no such comparison had been presented.

He added that colorectal cancer screening was a public health measure aimed at reducing mortality and that the national programme was grounded in international standards and scientific evidence, not simplistic price insinuations.