On the International Nurses Day, healthcare professionals are staging a protest in front of the Ministry of Health. The protest will be held under the slogan "Dignity, Not Silence". Nurses, midwives, lab technicians and physician assistants are demanding a proper increase in their salaries and are calling for quality patient care.

The protesters note that their wages are close to the minimum monthly salary and demand that their salaries be raised to 150% of the national average. Healthcare professionals are also calling for the introduction of a 7-hour workday in intensive care units and the possibility for nurses and midwives to sign contracts with the National Health Insurance Fund.

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• Nurses protest in front of the Ministry of Health

They warn that hospital wards and even entire hospitals could be shut down due to a lack of medical staff. The root cause, they say, is the absence of a national policy for retaining and training healthcare personnel.

The protest is organized by the Trade Union of Bulgarian Medical Specialists.