The trail was up to 5 days for minor cases, but to save the more severe ones it goes almost 2 times higher than what was paid by the health insurance fund.
15% of all hospitalized for a year had the infection
Two babies under 40 days admitted with the virus on the day Bulgaria hit 10,000 new patients
Nearly 15% of those admitted to hospital last year were patients with COVID.
Out of a total of 1,053,220 people in hospital, 152,826 were infected, the health insurance fund told 24 Chasa.
It paid about BGN 165 million for COVID pathways to hospitals last year without the last quarter, according to NHIF reports.
How much money is enough? Only the path for minor cases covers the cost of treatment, more seriously ill patients are saved by medics at a loss, according to a survey of hospital chiefs.
“The price of the clinical pathway at COVID-19 is BGN 1,400”, explains Prof. Yovcho Yovchev, Director of the University Hospital “Prof. Dr. Stoyan Kirkovich ”in Stara Zagora. But when the disease is severe, treatment exceeds this amount.
“The price of 1 liter of oxygen with VAT is now 1 lev, and if necessary the patient is given 18 liters of oxygen per minute,” gives just one example Prof. Yovchev.
About 24,000 people have been treated there last year, 4,000 of them from COVID. The hospital accepts patients from other areas outside Stara Zagora.
More than half of those hospitalized in Devin had coronavirus, explains its director Radka Goranova.
The facility, which receives patients from the neighboring municipalities of Dospat and Borino, is understaffed and this has put pressure on the two waves of the pandemic.
At the same time, clinical pathways were not always sufficient to cover the actual costs. In some patients, the treatment exceeded the allocated funds 3 times.
“Compared to years when there was no epidemic, the hospital is in better financial shape. However, due to the tired staff and the hard work with COVID patients, there is hardly a doctor who wants this epidemic to continue, ”said Dr. Grozdanova.
In the pandemic, the hospital in Svishtov managed to melt with 2/3 of the accumulated debts over the years. Clinical pathways to treat the infection have helped. From BGN 670,000 at the end of 2020, the debts are now about BGN 230,000. Several times in 2021, Dimitar Pavlovich Hospital was subsidized, said director Ilian Venkov.
“The first step was when 1 year ago we risked becoming a hospital that treats COVID patients. We transformed 51% of the beds, which are 87. We didn’t know yet what we were facing, but we decided. This was the key to success, because we received a serious subsidy from the Ministry of Health, “he said. After that, the hospital received several more subsidies, and recently – money for oxygen from the pen provided for municipal hospitals.
“With work and help we managed to reduce debts and I hope now it is much easier to maintain this trend,” said Venkov.
According to the management of UMHAT – Burgas, the treatment of COVID patients is financially unprofitable for the health institution.
“It costs BGN 2,300-2400 per person, and the health insurance trail costs BGN 1,400,” the hospital explained.
Those treated for the virus were many times less than those admitted for treatment. The management explains that if at the peak of the waves they took 20 people a day with coronavirus, then the patients with other diseases were 4-5 times more. 95% of the patients were admitted as an emergency, only 5% were admitted to the hospital as planned, according to the largest health institution in Southeastern Bulgaria.
This is not the situation in Plovdiv. In the municipal “St. Panteleimon ”most of the patients had coronavirus, explains its director Prof. Petar Petrov.
Last year, medics encountered more difficulties in their treatment due to fear of the virus, lack of sufficient information and lack of equipment. Now the hospital is much better prepared and the staff is calm, said its chief.
Not in all cases the treatment of the infected is financially profitable. The money for the trail for 5 days, which is for milder cases, was enough. In more severe cases, which remain longer, the hospital incurs costs. “In severe cases, it is not profitable for us, but patients stay with us until they recover,” added Prof. Petrov.
With the growth of the fifth wave of omicron, the patients with COVID in the Plovdiv hospital “St. Ivan Rilski ”are more than last year, said the manager Dr. Nikolay Salutski. Not only mild, but also moderate and severe cases are admitted in the health institution managed by him.
“A lot of money is spent on treating moderate to severe cases, especially when we have to give them oxygen. It is not financially profitable for us, but we are doing everything possible to cure people “, commented Dr. Salutski.
“I am not optimistic that the wave of coronavirus will pass soon. The virus will infect the entire population, “Dr. Salutski predicted.
In one of the largest hospitals in Sofia – University Hospital “St. Anna ”,
1/3 of the beds are always full
with COVID patients, their total number is 540, and 160 or 200 in the various epidemic waves are allocated to the infected. With the introduction of Omicron, only 31 are currently free for less severe cases and 5 – unoccupied intensive care beds.
The Unified Information Portal reported a record nearly 10,000 infected yesterday. 22% of the tests performed were positive.
The incidence of children is growing. Babies aged 27 and 40 were admitted to hospitals in Veliko Tarnovo and Svishtov. Three more children aged 11 months to 5 years are in the pediatrics of the Veliko Tarnovo MOBAL “Dr. Stefan Cherkezov”. The condition of the four children is stable.
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