site.btaAuthorities Uncover Three More Unlicensed Nursing Homes in Varna Region

The authorities have uncovered three more unlicensed nursing homes, this time near Varna, on the Black Sea, Minister of Labour and Social Policy Borislav Gutsanov said on Tuesday. He gave a press conference together with Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev and Executive Agency for Medical Supervision Director Ivanka Dineva.

Gutsanov specified that the inspections in the three illegal facilities were carried out on Monday night, and one was found to have "horrific condition". There were a total of 130 residents in the homes, and 14 were removed on Monday night.

The authorities started large-scale inspections of nursing homes a month ago in an effort to crack down on facilities that operate without a licence or have inadequate conditions.

The Minister said this is something "no one has dared to do for years".

The Minister of Justice added that the hygienic conditions in all three homes in Varna were poor. The inspectors found healthy people and mental patients sharing the same room. The residents were not provided with adequate medical care. Although there is no evidence of violence against the elderly, the care was clearly not of adequate quality, the Minister pointed out. He specified that many of the residents were without phones and ID on them.

He recalled that so far over 100 inspections of such homes have been carried out in the country. The largest concentration of illegal establishments has been found in Varna, with three sites discovered. The Minister added that two pre-trial proceedings have already been initiated in these cases.

Georgiev also said that active work is being done on changes to the legislation, and that the violators will be held criminally liable. Obviously, fines do not have a strong enough effect, the Minister argued.

Senior Commissioner Andrey Angelov, Director of the Police in Varna, added that two pre-trial proceedings were initiated for failure to provide care for people in need. He specified that over the years, inspections in these facilities have not stopped, other pre-trial proceedings have also been initiated, including for fraud. The beneficiaries are always the same, Angelov pointed out, explaining that they would close their companies and open others.

Because of all this, legislative changes are needed, the Minister of Justice stressed. He called on the relatives of people accommodated in such facilities to file signals if they see violations or bad treatment. Minister Gutsanov added that inspections in the country will continue with the full power of the state, together with the National Revenue Agency, the Labour Inspectorate and the police. He specified that in the meantime, social services in Varna are working to provide places for the accommodation of people from the three illegal facilities.

Last week, elderly people with their legs tied, under the influence of narcotics, locked in rooms with horrific conditions, without bed linen, window handles removed and without connection to the outside world, were discovered by inspectors from several state institutions in two facilities in the village of Yagoda, Stara Zagora region, during a joint operation. Seventy-five men and women aged 51 to 86 were held in appalling conditions in illegal homes for the elderly, Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev said at a briefing at the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Stara Zagora on Monday.

On Sunday, the institutions inspected a home for the elderly in the Samokov village of Govedartsi, Sofia Region, checking all documentation regarding permits, licenses, and everything related to the home's activities.