What happens if you are sick or ill here? There is no getting away from it, you have to pay money for treatment and medicine, no one is exempt. How much you pay depend on where you are from and who you know. There is no uniform in terms of medical treatment in Bulgaria.I have written before about having family in the medical profession here, it really is a major advantage if you are fortunate enough to have some brains in the family. The vast majority of people here haven't of course and the fear of being ill is quite apparent. The crying for someone being ill, especially in the villages is for the lack of money to pay for treatment more than the patient.
There is another twist, being an expatriate. Doctors, hospitals, dentists and opticians will know straight away that you are an expatriate and there is a completely revised rate for treatment and medicine. This is besides the fact that there is a reciprocal agreement in the EU that all EU citizens have to be charged as Nationals of that country are charged. I have this written on an official document stating that law is in operation. This is Bulgaria, this does not go on here and you can't blame them. The pay to the medical profession for their services and funds put into to the medical profession are diabolical. If there is a chance of robbing the rich to give to the poor then this is a prime example of it. What's more if they can get away with it it will happen.The problem with this is that some expatriates are poorer than the Bulgarians and that makes it totally unfair. What's more, there is medical insurance that is available that you can take out as an expatriate to cover medical expenses and it advised, especially to those that were ill and had to pay out extortionate medical bills. This again is okay is you can afford medical insurance, if you can't, then you have to take the risk of not being ill. If you are poor everything is against you in this world, Bulgaria is no exception.
The question is, what do you do if you are ill? Well if it is life threatening emergency treatment is free for all, beyond that you have to pay. So for the poor, after the emergency is over they will go back home and tended by amateur doctors, namely their families and try and gather enough funds for basic medication to keep them going. The problem is compounded if the patient was working and relying of that income, which now has dried up with the incapacity. There is no escape from more poverty in these instances. You can now understand why Bulgarian weep if illness strikes. 
This is one of the area's in which the UK does have some plus points despite however much people knock the NHS.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine anyone who has planned to become an expat must have placed health insurance high on their agenda.
It must be a major concern for the poorer Bulgarian families because as you point out, being ill also means a loss of income. It is certainly an issue that the Bulgarian government or future one need to address.
It's not fun to be sick when you're away from 'home'.
ReplyDeleteHave a love-filled week, pal!
I am ever so thankful that Thailand has such a wonderful health care program in place for their people, there are clinics and small and large government hospitals everywhere to take care of the people, and our local hospital will send extra meds to small villages near the borders of Burma because they know that a lot of none Thais are living there, health care really seems to be a priorty here in the LOS , and as for being a expat, I go to the same gov. hospital my Thai wife goes and get wonderful treatment , and am charged a very modest price . Some time when I go there are hundreds of Thais there, and I am always the only falang or expat and I get in line and wait my turn and am treated ,as I said before just like one of them.I think that the Thai goverment has figured it out , that a health country is a happy and productive country . I only wish it were the same all over the world . Malcolm
ReplyDeleteMartin interesting post and so are the comments by HD and Malcolm.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both comments, but like Malcolm I do not have expensive health insurance, I do have a reserve fund for health care for me and MTF but in most cases we would spend this at the local Thai hospital.
Thank you for your views and comparisons. I have to point out that here in Bulgaria everyone assumes that every expatriate that takes up residency here is rich. This goes right through the system and sways the big bureaucratic decision-making politicians that make one rule for Bulgarians and another for foreigners in view of this.
ReplyDeleteWow...this is really an interesting post! I'm living in the Czech Republic, and am an expat with Czech health insurance. Basically, I'm treated the same as a Czech in their health care system. The meds are subsidized, with the more expensive meds being almost completely covered by health insurance. We pay more of the cost for the cheaper meds, sometimes paying the whole price is the med is very cheap.
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting to hear about how things are so different in Bulgaria.
I have a question, which is probably ignorant, so please for give me (I'm still relatively new to living overseas! :0)) If Bulgaria is a part of the EU, will they eventually have to transition to some kind of EU standard of health care--and treating everyone more the same within the system (at least expats who are living there long-term)?
Thanks for sharing about this aspect of life there!
Have a great weekend!
Sher :0)
Bulgaria is a full member of the EU, but in one aspect we dont' get full benefits i.e. Bulgarians aren't allowed to work in the UK without being vetted an qualify for a 'visa', needless to say most don't get it, including Galia. On the other side of the coin, as mentioned in the said post, Bulgaria has a mandatory requirement for medical charges for foreigners to be exactly the same as Bulgarian Nationals this is one of the conditions of joining the EU. This isn't happening as agreeing to a law is one thing, actually complying is another here. Quite unbelievable really but absolutely true.
ReplyDeleteThe problem to newcomers here is that they read one thing and when they get here something else happens.
By the way you might be interested in another site that I conducted an interview with recently.
http://cultureshock.kristiejoy.net/an-interview-with-bulgarian-slivatrees-martin/
Coming from Singapore, I've yet to figure out NHS. In fact, believe it or not, after 2 yes of being in London, I've not yet registered myself with the local NHS.
ReplyDeleteBack in S'pore where state subsidies is minimal, you get what you pay for and that's pretty much it regardless of whether you're a local or a foreigner. Though public hospital do charge non PR / citizens more, the gap between public and privatemedical care has narrowed over the years.
Then again, I guess that prevention is better than cure. So public subsidies should in fact be geared towards that.
I agree C.K. Having neen under the UK NHS most of my life, no complaints at all, actually more trouble with patients than staff. If you have been to an accident and emergency department (and I hope you don't have to,) you will know what I mean. But then I have always been very healthy all my life. The NHS didn't stop me from leaving the UK though.
ReplyDeletethis sound like how it is in the Philippines too. no set rates and the more money you have the more you get charged. medical insurance can be bought but be ready to pay as it costs an arm and a leg to get a policy.
ReplyDeletegood thing is, we have doctors in the family, and even if we need treatment out of their practice, we always get good referrals including lower fees.
have a great V day!