Bulgarian patients will have opportunities for lung transplants outside EU

Bulgaria will finance lung transplantations of Bulgarina patients in countries outside the European Union. This intention of the Ministry of Health has for the time being stopped a protest by paitients and their relatives waiting for lung transplant procedures in Bulgaria.

They protested outside the health ministry on September 18 and accused the health minister that he had left them with no alternative after the only transplant clinic for Bulgarians stopped the admission of foreigners.

The Minister of Health replied that amendments to the Ordinance have already been prepared to resolve the issue.

Eighteen Bulgarians are waiting for a lung transplant. According to patients and their family members, the only option to is to become health emigrants.

Todor Mangorov, Chair of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association: Only one lung transplant has been performed since May 2017. This protest is held outside the Ministry of Health to remind the minister that the work of caring for patients who need lung transplant is taking extremely long time.

The health minister responded to protesters that transplants could soon be funded in countries outside the European Union. This will happen with changes with an ordinance that is first subject to public consultation.

Kiril Ananiev, Minister of Health: The public discussion will finish in a few days and the Ordinance will be signed and will enter into force. The countries we are talking about are the US, Russia, Belarus, Turkey.

Patients and NGOs supported the idea and stopped the protest. According to them, however, the procedure will take a long time.

Todor Mangorov, Chair of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association: The patients do not have the moral right to seek an offer for such surgery because they are not doctors.

Kiril Ananiev, Minister of Health: They will be sought by the public authorities entrusted with this function. This is the NHIF and the Medical Audit Executive Agency.

Nikolai Manchev, a patient with transplanted lung: It will take at least a year and a half until we see the first Bulgarian with transplanted lung.

Some patients do not have the time to wait.

From this year, Bulgarian doctors are trained to perform life-saving surgeries at a clinic in Vienna. The first lung transplantation in Bulgaria is expected to be performed in 2021.