“We continue to change” is a victim, the three remaining partners reject the offer for the toughest ministry
Anti-corruption commission launched after resigned deputy minister talks about inexplicably high prices not for KOVID tests
We have seen a division between “for” and “against” vaccines, a division of medical classes and professions, says the head of pharmacists, who is probably in charge.
One of the launched – Alexander Simidchiev, is adamant that he will enter the executive branch only after a change in health legislation
In Bulgaria, the parties refuse to sacrifice theirs for health minister, and the winner of the last elections, “We continue the change”, will most likely launch Asena Serbezova for the post.
The president of the Union of Pharmacists, who is the only candidate, immediately received advice instead of congratulations, to refuse this post in the future government of the four-party coalition.
“The Minister of Health must take responsibility and be bold in his decisions, to explain to the public why measures are being changed,” Serbezova told Nova TV the most important quality that Stoycho Katsarov’s successor must possess. She described the moment as “difficult because of the fight against the coronavirus and its next wave”.
Two more names emerged during negotiations on a coalition agreement and the distribution of ministerial seats. The left-wing MP and former director of the National Hospital of Hematology, Prof. Georgi Mihailov, was mentioned first, but the BSP took over agriculture, tourism, social policy and the economy.
The other candidate in the talks for minister was the pulmonologist from the parliamentary group of “Democratic Bulgaria” Alexander Simidchiev. Before “24 Hours”, however, he was more than adamant that he would enter the executive branch only after the health legislation was changed.
Among his causes is, for example, to correct the imbalance between the financing of hospital care with a huge resource and the lack of a policy for prevention with the appropriate funds for it. As well as the boxing introduction of e-health.
Simidchiev sees himself as more effective in parliament, and he is likely to head the relevant committee there.
Namely the chaos with the management of the patients, the lack of staff, highlighted in the pandemic, the tension after the change of leadership of two of the leaders – the oldest in our country Alexandrovska and the largest emergency “Pirogov”, dramas with Government and hot potato National Children’s Hospital are the main “package” of problems that Katsarov bequeathed to the heir.
And all this against the background of the insurmountable division of society for vaccines and the green certificate, on which the new parliament refused to set a good example (see page 5).
In recent days, Stoycho Katsarov has entered into a direct conflict with the Minister of Education. Otherwise, the delicate and restrained academician Nikolay Denkov allowed himself to accuse the Ministry of Health a few days ago of confusing parents, students and school principals with the signals he gave for the testing of children.
Denkov was adamant that he refused to bear the blame for the fact that for weeks there were no tests for the return of students. And yesterday the anti-corruption commission joined the scandal, which started an investigation on the signal of the released deputy. Minister of Health Dimitar Petrov.
Violations in the selection of suppliers and their ranking, as well as Petrov’s claims that the tests were bought at inflated prices and there is a big delay in their deliveries are the reasons for the inspection, according to KPKONPI.
The Minister of Health must provide the complete documentation on the selection of suppliers and the contracts concluded with them. Katsarov’s former deputy also gave explanations, claiming that the health minister could have avoided a delay of at least two weeks. According to him, the contract should have been terminated during the first order with the declared missing company. Instead, the ministry waited and this did not return the students to class on time.
Katsarov’s former deputy also suggested announcing an order for the entire value, rather than dividing it into several orders. Again, no one heard his ideas, Petrov said.
According to him, he opposed why the procedure was conducted by a person who is not competent. According to him, the orders were handled by the head of the cabinet of the Minister of Health Lidia Chorbanova instead of the relevant Deputy Minister Alexander Zlatanov.
“Given that there is a Health Control Directorate, a Public Procurement Directorate and a departmental deputy. Minister Alexander Zlatanov, the procedure was led by Ms. Chorbanova. She allows herself to dictate everything to the commission, “Petrov said.
Another problem with sparing tests was the changed conditions for penalties. According to him, initially they were 0.5 percent per day, and then, by order of the Minister, were made at 10 percent. This was not announced in advance and refused the first five or six companies.
In addition to the tests, the removed Deputy Minister Petrov is also considering the activity of his former boss regarding the merger of Lozenets Hospital with the specialized children’s hospital “Prof. Ivan Mitev”.
“Mine planted by Katsarov”, on which the new Minister of Health could be blown up
“It is clear that he will do everything possible to be a fact for the new government, because 3 companies are easy to merge. But then separating is a much more difficult process. In this way, Minister Katsarov bets a mine on the next minister “, explains Petrov. (See also in the box below)
He supports the doubts of the director of Lozenets Hospital, Assoc. Prof. Radosvet Gornev, that a possible reason for its restructuring is to destroy it. According to both, closing beds or clinics makes it possible to open beds in another (private) hospital.
According to Petrov, the Ministry of Health is the most undesirable of the partners in the future government for a number of reasons. The need for restructuring and health care reforms during the pandemic repelled candidates for health ministers.
The legislation imposes responsibility on the Minister for all difficult decisions, so the post brought negatives.
“Obviously the health system is not working very well. Obviously it needs tough reforms, at the same time in a crisis they can not be done. It is difficult to make any general restructuring of hospitals, at a time when there is mainly COVID “, explains Petrov.
“The moment is difficult, but it should not stop us from fulfilling our civic duty – each of us, if he wants to create a better future, must turn his back on his personal ego and think. “What lies ahead should not scare us,” said Serbezova.
He acknowledged that there were differences between the parties. “I beg everyone who leads parties in parliament to try as much as possible to help what is happening and to have a spirit of cooperation,” she urged lawmakers in an interview with Nova TV.
Analyzes that we also lack health education and this is the reason for the low level of awareness of patients and ultimately for the deep division of Bulgarians “for” and “against” vaccines.
She accepted people’s fears as normal. “The question is to find a balance between the interests of all and especially the interests of society and the state, which must survive and go through this crisis,” said Serbezova and promised: “The Minister of Health must take responsibility. To explain the decisions as a desired effect. When he changes an order, explain why he changes it. This information is due to the public. “
Asena Serbezova has been involved in two public scandals in recent years. First, as head of the Executive Agency for Medicines, she accused the caretaker Minister of Health in 2017, Ilko Semerdzhiev, of pressuring her to appoint his man as deputy head of the agency and threatening to fire her. Semerdzhiev was charged with abuse of office, but he won his case. A few days ago, when Serbezova’s name became minister, Semerdzhiev accused her of “links with the pharmaceutical mafia.”
Serbezova has headed the 2014 Medicines Agency, appointed by Boyko Borissov’s second government. In 2018 she left on her own. But he remained one of the main advisers to then-Health Minister Kiril Ananiev in GERB’s third cabinet.
In 2020, Serbezova headed the pharmaceutical union. The same year – the first of the pandemic in our country, she was accused by the prosecutor’s office of causing panic, after at the beginning of the state of emergency warned of a possible lack of drugs in pharmacies. Months later, the case was dropped, and the prosecutor’s office refused to support the charges.
Analyzes that we also lack health education and this is the reason for the low level of awareness of patients and ultimately for the deep division of Bulgarians “for” and “against” vaccines. The topic also managed to divide the medical community, Serbezova said.
She accepted people’s fears as normal. “The question is to find a balance between the interests of all and especially the interests of society and the state, which must survive and go through this crisis,” the pharmacist told Nova TV and promised: “When he changes an order, the minister must explain why. This information is due to society. “
Asena Serbezova was involved in two public scandals
in the last years. First, as head of the Executive Agency for Medicines, she accused the caretaker Minister of Health in 2017, Ilko Semerdzhiev, of pressuring her to appoint his man as deputy head of the agency and threatening to fire her. Semerdzhiev was charged with abuse of office, but he won his case. A few days ago, when Serbezova’s name became minister, Semerdzhiev accused her of “links with the pharmaceutical mafia.”
Serbezova has headed the 2014 Medicines Agency, appointed by Boyko Borissov’s second government. In 2018 she left on her own. But he remained one of the main advisers to then-Health Minister Kiril Ananiev in GERB’s third cabinet.
In 2020, she headed the pharmaceutical union. In the same year – the first pandemic in our country, Serbezova was charged by the prosecutor’s office with causing panic, after at the beginning of the state of emergency warned of a possible lack of drugs in pharmacies. Months later, the prosecution refused to support the charges, and the case was dropped.
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