/ world today news/ “On behalf of the local government, and through our fellow mayors and on behalf of the residents of our 22 municipalities, we express our disagreement and state that if even one emergency center is closed and the quality of healthcare in Sofia region deteriorates, we are ready to engage in civil disobedience.”
This was stated by the People’s Representative from the PG of BSP LEFT BULGARIA Kornelia Ninova at a joint press conference with mayors from the Sofia region – the municipalities of Anton, Gorna Malina, Pravets, Samokov, Zlatitsa and Kostenets. Ninova clarified that it is a draft decree of the Council of Ministers for the merger of the Center for Emergency Medical Assistance from Sofia-region into the one in Sofia-city. According to her, 16 mayors from the district have given their negative opinion on this issue and express the will and desire of the population in their municipalities. “For us, this decision is absolutely unacceptable. Our district occupies an area of 7059 sq. km. with 22 municipalities. This is a very large area with a mountainous relief. The people who live there are 248,000. The decision to infuse will lead to a deterioration in the quality of service for these people and the quality of health care,” Ninova said categorically. She added that there is no District or Regional Hospital on the territory of the district because there is no district center. “This is the only region without a regional center,” the deputy recalled. According to her, there are 6 municipal hospitals that are in an extremely tragic state and cannot offer quality healthcare. Kornelia Ninova is of the opinion that the arguments in the draft decision are absolutely unacceptable: reduction of administrative costs and lack of communication between Sofia-city and Sofia-region of emergency aid. “The service from the emergency teams would have been faster, it is written in the minister’s report. What common sense can explain to me how an ambulance will get from Sofia-city to Koprivshtitsa faster, for which it must travel 1 hour and 50 minutes at least. Logically, we claim that the current emergency centers that exist in the municipalities can respond to emergencies faster and more adequately,” she added.
Ninova said that there is a need for serious changes in health care, but this is not the change for the better. “There is probably something else behind this change, and we will try to find out,” emphasized the MP. She summarized that with the prepared changes to the two million that serve the emergency aid of Sofia-city will be burdened with another 250,000 people from the district. The deputy recalled that in 2005 there was such a decision, which was even adopted by the Court of Justice, the Constitutional Court was alerted to it and the decision was overturned. “There is such a sad experience, let the rulers not try to repeat it,” she urged. According to her, the issue will be put to a blitz control next week.
Rumen Guninski: We should not destroy what has already been built
The mayor of Pravets, Rumen Guninski, stated that the municipality has an established emergency aid system, and although there is much to be desired from it, something that has been done and the state has invested funds should not be destroyed. He emphasized that every single ambulance is tracked 24/7 with JPS – where it is moving and if it gets stuck, another one is immediately sent. “I and my fellow mayors from the district do not see how this staff, which currently serves this system, will be cut,” said the mayor of Pravets. Guninski agreed that the emergency aid needs improvement of the material base and service conditions, but according to him, where there are no hospitals, without the emergency aid, there is no way to support people’s lives. He emphasized that the topography of the district is mountainous and 410 km from Pravets municipality. are “Mahlen” roads, which people from outside the region would find difficult to find their way around.
Vladimir Georgiev: The goal is to cover the shortage of personnel and equipment in Sofia-city, but not in Sofia-region
“Everywhere there is a shortage of personnel, of equipment, of ambulances. The aim is solely to cover the shortage in Sofia-city, but not in Sofia-region. These changes are extremely untimely and inexpedient. I am also worried about the way in which they happen”, said the mayor of Samokov, Vladimir Georgiev, to the media. He explained that no one sought the opinion of the mayors from the district before this decision was made. He stated that as the largest municipality in the Sofia region, in Samokov the distance from one end of the municipality to its administrative center is 50 km, and in the other direction as well. “If a signal is received from Sofia and we have to serve the outer territories of Sofia city – Zheleznitsa, Gurubljane and all the others, what happens to our 24 villages and 40,000 inhabitants?” asked Georgiev.
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