Doctors in Bulgaria will see their monthly salary rise by some €400 thanks to a new collective agreement between health trade unions and the Ministry of Health, in force until April 2024.
The deal offers substantial pay increases for both doctors and nurses, which the unions and government hope will attract new workers to the sector and encourage them to remain in the country.
The minimum monthly salary for a specialist doctor should be at least 1,900 BGN (€970), 1,500 BGN (€767) for health professionals and 900 BGN (€460) for nurses. The agreement was signed at Bulgaria’s Ministry of Health by the President of the Federation of Trade Unions in Healthcare (CITUB) Dr Ivan Kokalov, Sonya Varbanova from Podkrepa Medical Federation and Vladimir Naidenov on behalf of the pharmacy and distribution sector.
Dr Ivan Kokalov stressed that decent pay is vital for motivating and retaining young people in Bulgaria. "The average age of doctors and medical professionals is very high. We must have the vision to know that if we do not make the remuneration and conditions attractive, young people will not come to or will leave the industry.”