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

EU member states are expected to assess the amendments to Bulgaria’s Recovery and Resilience Plan

The European Commission has temporarily put on hold the preliminary assessment of Bulgaria’s request for the third payment under the national Recovery and Resilience Plan, amounting to EUR 1.6 billion, informed sources in Brussels told BNR...

published on 11/14/25 11:44 AM
The delegation of ‘BSP – United Left’ during a meeting with Nikolay Shulginov (M), Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Energy

A delegation of ‘'BSP – United Left’' paid a working visit to Moscow

The leader of the ''Alternative for Bulgarian Revival'' party  Rumen Petkov, MP Galin Durev from the coalition ‘'BSP – United Left’' and Iliyan Sarandaliev paid a visit to Moscow. They held meetings with Nikolay Shulginov, Chairman of the State Duma..

published on 11/14/25 10:44 AM

Bulgarian brokerage companies involved in a scheme for laundering Russian money

Bulgarian intermediaries have been identified as some of the links in an investigation into an international scheme for laundering Russian money. BGNES cites data from Intelligence Online according to which two Bulgarian brokerage companies..

published on 11/14/25 9:07 AM