Medical costs

Certain types of medical care must be provided to you free of charge, but you may have to pay for others.

Free medical care

First, medical care provided in prison or prison hospital is entirely free of charge. Second, medical care, covered by the state budget and provided to all Bulgarian citizens, regardless of their insurance status, is also free for you. According to the Bulgarian law, this includes, among other:

  • Emergency medical care
  • Statutory psychiatric treatment
  • Obstetric care
  • Organ transplantation 
  • Blood products
  • HIV and tuberculosis treatment

Third, Bulgarian law stipulates that both convicted and remand prisoners gain the status of health-insured individuals upon their deprivation of liberty. Monthly installments to prisoners’ health care insurance are at the expense of the state budget and are paid by the Ministry of Justice. This means that you are entitled to certain free or partly free medical care, in accordance to the package of health goods and services, guaranteed by the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund. This package covers, for example:

  • Primary medical care by a general practitioner
  • Secondary medical care provided by specialists (gynecologist, surgeon, etc.)
  • Laboratory medical tests
  • Medical devices
  • Treatment in a general hospital, if treatment in the prison hospital is not possible
  • Medication prescribed by the doctor

You are also entitled to basic medical devices (such as prosthetics, a wheelchair etc.) which satisfy your minimum needs if required. Bulgarian law provides the list of devices which are provided free of charge.

Choice of paid treatment

The State does not have a duty to pay for all the types of medical care you may need. Therefore, the State is not obliged to pay for treatment that you wish to have which is medically unnecessary. It will only pay for the cheapest treatment and medicines that are prescribed by a doctor and are effective for your condition. 

example If the doctor says that there are 3 different types of pills you could take and they are equally effective, the prison administration will provide the cheapest ones. 

How to complain

If you believe that the medical care provided to you was insufficient or inappropriate, or you were asked to pay for medical care that should be free, you should submit a complaint to the regional office of the Health Insurance Fund. 

Resources

Last updated 15/03/2024