site.btaUPDATED Young Medics Protest Again for Higher Salaries
Young medics staged another protest in front of the Ministry of Health on Wednesday, under the slogan "The Funeral of a Future", demanding better pay and working conditions. A protest was also held in Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria).
The protesters are calling for the starting salary of a doctor without a specialty to be set at 150% of the national average wage, increased compensation for night shifts and additional qualifications, and transparency in the specialization process.
"We don’t have a good dialogue with the Health Ministry, despite their claims to the contrary," said Vasilena Dimitrova, a member of the Future in Bulgaria initiative committee, which organized the protest in Sofia. "No one hears us or responds to our requests," she added, noting that the changes proposed by the ministry to the specialization regulation are unrealistic.
According to Dimitrova, there is a growing tendency among young doctors to consider leaving the country.
"It's high time measures are taken because nothing good awaits us – neither as doctors nor as a society," said Plamen Kitov, a medical intern.
At 7 pm, the protesters marched toward Eagles' Bridge in Sofia. The placed a coffin in front of the National Assembly's building and held a minute of silence. They proceeded to temporarily block Eagles' Bridge.
The young medics were supported in their demands by students from the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia and by the professional association of assistant pharmacists. Representatives of the civil movement BOEC also expressed their support for the protesting medical professionals.
In Plovdiv, medical students and young medics marched down the main street, holding posters reading they want a future in Bulgaria and European working conditions. They demanded an apology from Health Minister Silvi Kirilov for his statement that the healthcare system relies on those who were specialists 15 years ago, not on young medics. They asked him rhetorically who works in hospitals at night and on weekends.
"We are protesting once again because our protests so far have had no effect,"said Bayram Alimolla, a fifth-year medical student and member of the initiative committee of dissatisfied young medical professionals. According to him, the working group has not done its job because the changes it has proposed have nothing to do with the students' demands. We do not only want higher salaries, but also transparency in the competitions for residents, Alimolla commented.
The protesters handed out printed obituaries with the inscription: "Without a future for young doctors and medical professionals, there is no future for the Bulgarian people."
/DS/
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