Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Hospitals hide empty beds to avoid admitting stroke patients 

50 000 people suffer stroke every year

Assoc. Prof. Rosen Kalpachki
Photo: Ani Petrova

Bulgaria ranks first in the European Union in terms of stroke mortality, says Assoc. Prof. Rosen Kalpachki, head of the largest specialised centre for the treatment of the disease at the capital's St. Anna University Hospital. According to him, about 50 thousand people suffer from stroke every year.

It is necessary to create a register of stroke patients in order to control which hospitals provide modern treatment and to follow up people after the acute phase of the disease, Assoc. Prof. Rosen Kalpachki told BNR. 

He added that at least one to two out of ten people who suffer an acute stroke die in the first few days and confirmed that there is a problem of hiding empty beds to prevent such patients from being admitted. However, according to him, this happens mainly in Sofia. 

"The fact is that especially in the off-hours - in the afternoon, after Friday noon, until Sunday, on holidays - stroke patients are admitted to a maximum of 3 hospitals in Sofia. This is not fair because it puts a strain on these teams, it puts a strain on the ability to provide adequate care and it rather distorts people's perception that they can actually be treated in a European capital in a European way in the 21st century".



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Iliana Yotova

VP Iotova discusses integration of the Bulgarian community with Deputy Mayor of London

During her visit to London, Vice President Iliana Iotova met with Deputy Mayor Joanne McCartney. McCartney is also the Deputy Mayor for Children and Families.  The meeting focused on the difficulties faced by a section of the Bulgarian..

published on 3/12/25 1:09 PM
Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov

Vazrazhdane party demands renegotiation of Bulgaria's EU membership

Renegotiation of Bulgaria's EU membership has been demanded in a declaration on behalf of the Vazrazhdane parliamentary group by the party leader Kostadin Kostadinov . According to him, EU membership does not meet Bulgaria's interests. At the..

published on 3/12/25 12:04 PM
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov

Bulgaria welcomes agreement on 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia

Bulgaria welcomes the agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine reached between the delegations of Kiev and Washington, who met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. This is clear from a post by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov on the social network X. The..

published on 3/12/25 10:40 AM