On Wednesday the Bulgarian National Assembly is expected to vote the no-confidence motion against the Borissov 3 cabinet over healthcare submitted by the Bulgarian Socialist Party. The socialists already initiated a no-confidence motion over the same sphere during the Borissov 1 cabinet in 2010 which was rejected by the Bulgarian Parliament. The government has been quite often subject to criticism and attacks over the healthcare system, i.e. the problems in this sector have remained unsolved. This is also proved by the fact that the number of healthcare ministers changed during the three cabinets headed by Premier Borissov was highest. The three-hour debates held on this topic on Friday raised skeptical rather than optimistic expectations for positive outcome. Two days before the voting in parliament it seems that the real problems of the healthcare reform are out of focus and that the topic is rather used as a reason for political confrontation.

It became clear during the discussions in Parliament that no political party contested the thesis of the socialists that the health system is in poor condition. However, none of the political parties represented at the Bulgarian National Assembly has backed the alternative proposed by the Bulgarian Socialist Party. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms announced that it would support the no-confidence vote. However, this party does not agree with the idea of the socialists that the monopoly of the National Health Insurance Fund should remain. Meanwhile, the MRF contends that Bulgaria’s Health Minister Kiril Ananiev is not planning to make brave reforms in this sphere and that the financial parameters prevail in his proposal for reforms. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms does not believe that the structural problems of the healthcare system can be solved with financial measures only.

Bulgaria’s Premier Boyko Borissov who did not attend the Parliamentary debates on Friday commented on Facebook from Brussels that the Bulgarian healthcare system needs a comprehensive reform of the model that is now criticized by the ones who proposed it. The United Patriots coalition were surprised that the MRF would support a no-confidence motion which is against the demonopolization of the National Health Insurance Fund, providing the MRF party supports the demonopolization of the National Health Insurance Fund itself. The MPs from Volya party did not take part at the debate and announced in advance that they will abstain during the Wednesday voting.

The MPs are expected to reject the no-confidence motion against the Borissov 3 cabinet. Bulgaria’s Health Minister also believes that the forthcoming no-confidence motion will fail and commented that a healthy vote does not need sick arguments and promised to look for a healthcare model which is acceptable to most political parties. 

English version: Kostadin Atanasov