The protests of employees in psychiatric hospitals and departments in Bulgaria continue for the third day. The main reasons for the dissatisfaction remain the same - chronic underfunding, harsh working conditions and lack of adequate personnel policy.
"Today this protest ends, but our battle does not end. The first stage is over. We all know how it ended. It was not specifically directed at us, but we understood that 5% were accepted, which is offensive, ridiculous, humiliating. Now we will prepare a letter to the minister, in which we request a meeting, and we will prepare a protest in front of the Ministry of Health in the appropriate order - so that they can see that we exist, because up to now they have been pretending that we do not exist. They do not hear us, do not see us, do not listen to us, they do not even come to see us", said the director of the State Psychiatric Hospital "St. Ivan Rilski" Dr. Tsvetislava Galabova in the studio of "Denyat ON AIR".
According to her, there is a lack of understanding of the importance of mental health in Bulgarian society and institutions. Although the sector does not require expensive equipment or high-tech research, the need for qualified personnel and good conditions is enormous.
Unfortunately, the motivation to work in psychiatric hospitals is at a critically low level due to the lack of financial support and career development opportunities.
Even more worrying than the lack of funding is the problem of the lack of personnel. Psychiatric hospitals are mainly staffed by doctors and nurses of retirement age, and young specialists avoid the sector because of the low salaries and difficult working conditions. "We are considering after the meeting with the minister, after the protest in front of the Ministry of Health, an option that is theoretical for the moment, but not impossible - the staff of the 12 hospitals to collectively resign. If this happens, what will happen to the patients? I don't know. When we are no longer at work, it will be the state's concern. This is like a last resort. But a last resort, because we asked for a 50% increase in salaries, and they gave us 5%," Dr. Galabova also told Bulgaria ON AIR.
Now that the state budget has already been adopted, the possibilities for additional funding seem limited. However, the protesters are demanding an update and finding reserves in the budget.