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Medical staff in Bulgaria are trained to a very high standard, though hospitals and clinics in general may not have all the equipment and facilities we expect in Western Europe or the USA. Despite this, standards of healthcare have improved dramatically since the post-communist restructure.

The National Health Insurance Fund has a direct contract with medical institutions to provide medical services to patients, those who pay contributions to the fund – these services include general and specialist care at health centres, hospital outpatient departments and at home, plus hospitalisation, prescription medicines and dental care.

There are a growing number of private hospitals and clinics across Bulgaria offering affordable treatment and medicines, though these are unregulated. Be aware that doctors and hospitals may expect immediate payment in cash for health services.

For expats concerned about the availability of standard prescription drugs in Bulgaria, the consensus is that most can be obtained easily, though antibiotics may be stronger than expected.

Some private clinics are now so highly regarded that Northern Europeans increasingly choose Bulgaria for “Hospital Holidays” – receiving excellent treatment at a very reasonable cost (compared, for example, to Germany or Switzerland), followed by recuperation in Bulgaria’s clean air and pleasant climate. Read the full story

Healthcare law firms can be a valuable tool for many businesses and individuals. As technology has advanced over the past decade, modern medicine has increased in complexity. While technology brings many benefits to doctors and their patients, it can also increase a physician’s exposure to malpractice. Legislation and regulation surrounding the innumerable areas of practice and corresponding standards change on a frequent basis. This can prove to be overwhelming for many practitioners and administrators.

New screening methods, diagnostic tools, and survey methods expose healthcare professionals to higher levels of risk. Since many patients use multiple doctors to confirm a diagnosis, a misdiagnosis can be grounds for a malpractice suit. In today’s litigious society, a malpractice suit can cost millions of dollars for a physician, raising their cost of malpractice insurance significantly, as well as damaging their professional reputation. This unfortunate scenario can occur more easily than many doctors realize.

In some patients, a rapid diagnosis and treatment may lead to negative symptoms. Many branches of medicine such as oncology require the use of dangerous treatments. One of the main courses of action for cancer patients is radiation therapy and drug-based chemotherapy. While these treatments can be effective at killing cancer cells in the body, they also put high levels of physiological stress on a patient. In some cases, chemotherapy can increase a patient’s risk of death or illness. While chemotherapy is the best course of treatment for these patients, it can expose healthcare professionals to excessive risk.

Any treatment with a high degree of risk exposes doctors to potential lawsuits. In present day, conducting medicine without legal representation can be a poor financial decision and can put not only your patients’ health and well being, but their privacy and personal medical data at risk. Any and all of this can be grounds for a lawsuit. In addition to high expenses, litigation wastes time that healthcare professionals should be spending those who are really important: patients. Read the full story