Kristian Vigenin with a personal priority, tackling the health deserts

„Tackling the health deserts, the areas in the European Union where there is access neither to medical services nor to medicines, is my main and personal priority. All the more so as Bulgaria is one of the member states most affected in this respect.“ This was stated during his meeting with the Minister of Health Silvi Kirilov by the head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists Kristian Vigenin, who is also a member of the Public Health Committee of the European Parliament. In the MEP’s view, digital solutions can significantly ease the problem in areas lacking access to medical services and medicines, and at relatively low cost.

The MEP briefed the minister on the main topics due to be discussed in the European Parliament, such as the Critical Medicines Act, which is to guarantee that the most important medicines will be produced in the EU. Another focus was the Mental Health Strategy, as a substantial problem for the whole European Union that was aggravated after the Covid pandemic. The directive on a European Health Data Space, which entered into force in February, is also due to be implemented, with the aim of facilitating the cross-border exchange of health data, including electronic prescriptions and remote consultations.

Healthcare as a priority for the European Parliament

„Healthcare will be among the most important topics for the European Parliament, and an important sign of this is the raising of the status of the Subcommittee on Public Health to a full committee in this term. We must try to achieve the maximum for Bulgaria in the discussion of the new legislative initiatives“, the Bulgarian MEP pointed out in the conversation.

The Socialists in the European Parliament have also set as an important task for themselves tackling the shortage of medical and health staff in the European Union, and this is a substantial problem for Bulgaria too.

Kristian Vigenin took the opportunity to thank Minister Kirilov for the continuing efforts to complete the new building of the hospital in Yambol, with only the delayed work on the Emergency Centre and on the hospital’s Emergency Department preventing its official commissioning.

Minister Kirilov stressed the need to guarantee good coordination of policy and action at national and European level and expressed readiness to continue the cooperation with the Bulgarian MEP on the whole range of health topics that are of interest to Bulgarian citizens