Healthcare professionals organize a protest on the International Nurses Day

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.

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.

Edited by Darina Grigorova

Translated and posted by Kostadin Atanasov