Health Minister Katya Ivkova
The opposition party We Continue the Change (PP) has called for the resignation of Health Minister Katya Ivkova, marking the first resignation demand against a minister in Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s cabinet.
The demand was issued in a social media post signed by PP and former Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov. They accused Ivkova of failing to manage the Health Ministry effectively and argued that she should leave her position.
“The time for experiments with the health of Bulgarian citizens is over. Minister Ivkova is not coping and it is right for her to vacate her post,” PP and Denkov said.
The opposition said the previous day’s meeting of Parliament’s Health Committee had once again demonstrated, in its view, that Ivkova had no adequate answers to key questions concerning the sector. PP also criticized the government’s proposed healthcare changes, arguing that they were being presented as reforms without clear objectives or convincing explanations of how they would improve the system.
“What are the changes, loudly called ‘reforms,’ being proposed for?” PP asked, questioning whether their purpose was to reduce spending or improve the health of Bulgarians. The party argued that neither objective had been adequately explained and that the measures could instead create new problems.
PP also raised concerns about plans to replace the regional health inspectorates with regional structures under the Health Ministry. According to the opposition, the potential risks and practical implications of the restructuring remain unclear.
Another point of criticism was the government’s pledge to improve pay for young doctors and nurses. PP said it remained unclear how Ivkova intended to fulfill the commitment she made at the start of her term, despite the government’s stated intention to address the staffing crisis in healthcare.
The opposition also questioned what it described as a discrepancy between the ministry’s emphasis on prevention and the allocation of funds in the National Health Insurance Fund budget. According to PP, the budget provides 5.5 times more funding for hospital treatment than for prevention, despite the ministry’s stated priority of increasing prophylaxis and preventive care.
PP further criticized a proposed change to the qualifications required for assistant pharmacists. The party warned that removing the requirement for higher education and allowing specialized secondary education instead could affect the quality of pharmaceutical services.
“Will you be calm if people with secondary education recommend medicines to you at the pharmacy?” PP asked, arguing that such a change would create additional risks for patients.
The opposition concluded that Bulgaria could not afford what it described as incompetent leadership at the Health Ministry, warning that the proposed policies risk further weakening an already strained healthcare system and creating consequences for both patients and medical workers.
“Bulgaria certainly deserves a better health minister,” PP and Denkov said in their appeal for Ivkova’s resignation.