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Emergency doctors in Bulgaria forced to go around hospitals looking for free beds

Photo: Ani Petrova, BNR

Despite the commitment of the state, emergency doctors in Bulgaria still do not have real-time access to information about free beds in hospitals and are forced to go around hospitals until they find a medical facility for their patient, warns Dr. Desislava Katelieva from the Association of Emergency Medical Aid Workers.

In October 2022, the caretaker ministers of health and transport introduced a new system that displays the nearest hospitals on the tablet in the ambulance after providing information about the condition of the patient being admitted. 

According to Dr. Desislava Katelieva, however, even today, emergency doctors only see the sick person's address on the electronic device.

"Thus, the doctor calls the emergency aid number which has information from 8:00 a.m. and according to this information, goes around hospitals to look for a free bed," the doctor summarized. According to her, if the names of the hospitals are available in real time, it will make it easier for emergency doctors to deal with stroke patients and other illnesses that require immediate treatment.



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