site.btaCC–DB, ARF, and MECh Request Emergency Parliamentary Sitting over Medical Professionals’ Pay

The parliamentary groups of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC–DB), the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, and MECh have submitted a motion to National Assembly Chair Natalia Kiselova for an emergency plenary session to be held on July 29, CC-DB’s press office reported on Thursday. The session would focus on proposed legislation to raise salaries for young doctors and medical professionals.

The initiators aim for the amendments to the Medical Establishments Act to be adopted before the start of the summer recess, ensuring fair and adequate compensation for healthcare workers.

The move aligns with a Government commitment to adopt the relevant legislation by the end of July, the statement added.

On July 11, Continue the Change tabled draft amendments to the Medical Establishments Act to guarantee fair pay for young medical professionals in medical establishments for which 50% of revenues come from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), the state or municipal budget. The revisions have been drafted based on the proposal of young doctors, presented to MPs at a roundtable in Parliament on July 2. 

On July 18, GERB-UDF, BSP - United Left, and There Is Such a People also submitted a joint bill amending the Medical Establishments Act. The proposed amendments aim to regulate the pay of medical professionals working in hospitals. The proposal sets minimum pay standards for staff in hospitals funded by the NHIF and the state budget. The base monthly salary for each job category must not be lower than that outlined in the current collective labour agreement. If there is no active agreement, the salary must be at least equal to the last one, adjusted for how much the average wage in the country has increased during that time, based on official data from the National Statistical Institute.