PUBLIC HEALTH IN SOVIETIZED BULGARIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700250021-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 8, 2011
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: February 13, 1956
• Content Type: REPORT

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STAT
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PUBLIC HEALTH IN SOVIETIZED BULGARIA
[Comv~ent: This report is taken from issue No 4, 1955, of
Bulgariki Pre?led, a bimonthly publication of the Free Europe
Committee published in New York. The periodical appears in
Bulgarian only and is intended mainly as a means of keeping
Bulgarians in exile abreast of events in Bulgaria.]
Much information coming from Bulgaria, obtained either from refugees or
from the Bulgarian press, supports the belief that there are serious sbort-
comings in the scientific and practical training of medical personnel. This
fact, augmented by the enormous insufficiency of therapeutic institutions and
hospitals and their unbelievably poor equipment, as well as the serious lack
of even the most elementary medicines, characterizes the condition of public
health services in Bulgaria today. Evidence at hand points to a pronounced
deterioration of the population's state of health, a situation which is seri-
ously endangering the physical development of the Bulgarian nation. Under-
nourishment, poor housing conditions, and mental suffering are widely current
under the "people's democratic" regirre and manifest themselves 1n an unbe-
lievable spreading of diseases and epidemics.
Before 9 September 1944, the medical services in Bulgaria stood at an
enviably high position. The situation changed rapidly after the Conmmniats
came to power. Health services and facilities were the first to feel the
effects of the "people's rule" and to illustrate the destructive character of
historical materialism.
Following the Soviet system, the Fatherland Front immediately created a
Ministry of Public Health. The first Minister of Public Health was Dr Racho
Angelov. However, ttie actual head of the Ministry was Dr Konstantin Kuaitasev,
a long-time member of the Conusunist Party, who died on 20 January 1955; in his
past as Chief Secretary of the Ministry, he conducted Comununist purges of the
country's medical profession during a 5-year period. All the directors of
hospitals, chiefs of medical departments, etc., were replaced by party members.
Later, the Ministry of Public Health was renamed the Ministry of Public Health
and Social Welfare, under the direction of Dr Petur Kolarov, xho completed
his medical studies in the USSR and who is the son of Vasil Kolarov.
On 9 September 1944, the Fatherland Front government abolished both the
Physicians Union and the Union of Auxiliary Health Workers. At present, all
doctors, doctor's assistants (feldsheri), midxives, nurses, and medical
workers must belong to the government-sponsored Ceneral Union of Health
Workers.
General health insurance is now compulsory for everyone. According to
the ruling on health insurance, everyone receives free medical care but must
pay for medicines prescribed, which are dispensed by }~ospital pharmacies.
Persons suffering from chronic diseases and over 50 years of age must buy
their medicines from state pharmacies. Medical examinations are no longer
performed in the hospitals themselves, but in municipal polyclinics; persons
requiring medical treatment are sent to the hospitals from the polyclinics.
Sofia is now divided into rayons, .each of which has its own polyclinic and
corresponding hospital. [There are six rayons in Sofia, but presumably there
are more than six polyclinics; Vecher_ niNovinl, 6 October 1955, mentions the
4th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 17th, and 21st polyclinics in Sofia.]
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In addition, the following hospitals are located in Sofia:
1. Sofia University hospital and clinic
2? Institute for Specialization and Advanced Training of Physicians
(the former workers' hospital)
3? Communal hospital
4? The Oncological Center (formerly the Dr Varkoni Clinic)
5? Klementinskn Hospital
6. Railroad Hospital
7? General Hospital (an entirely rew hospital, erected on bulevard
Patrinrkh Eftimi and headed by Dr Ploskov (fnu))
8? The former Jewish hospital on ulltsa Tri Ushi
9? General Military Hospital
10. Hospital for lung diseases, at the corner of ulitsa Vulkovich and
ulitsa 8 Septemvri
11. Bulgarian Red Cross
were eithertconvertedointozmaternitylhomesfor~includedtashbranches intoctheics
stricture of larger hospitals. With the exception of the General $ospital,
all the above-mentioned hospitals existed before 9 September 1944 and at +,hat
time had excellent equipment and highly qualified personnel.
The former Jewish hospital, now called "Vulko Chervenkov" Hospital, is
spacious and modern and is equipped with all kinds of the latest apparatus
and devices for making diagnoses. This hospital is now acc ~ssible only to
members of the Ministerial Council, members of their families, and higher
party and government officials. Persons are admitted to the hospital only
with the written permission of the secrerariat of the Ministerial Council.
Only doctors and medical personnel from the most trusted party circles are
assigned to the hospital, and their names are kept secret. This is the only
hospital which possesses unlimited quantities of all types of medication and
technical equipment for the treatment of all kinds of illnesses.
In the military hospital, only military personnel and officials of the
armed forces are treated. Military doctors are obtained in the following
manner: Carefully selected young men receive their military training in a
special division of the Military College (Voenno uchilishte) while simultane-
ously attending the Medical Acadert~y. Upon completion of their training, they
are automatically assigned as military doctors. These young men are very
carefully selected from party youth organizations; preference is given to sons
of well-known Conununists. .As a general requirement, they must have success-
fully completed all the party propaganda schools. The Military Hospital con-
tains a school for feldshers (now called doctor's assistants), where the feld-
shers needed by the military services are trained. young men who have a
secondary education are admitted to the school's 3-year course. Upon com-
pletion of the course, they are obligated to enter permanent military service,
where they can reach the rank of captain.
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The secretary of the party organization in the hospital, together with
the party committee, have the right and the dut
f
y o
observing the work and
the conduct of all doctors and other personnel. The secretary is usually also
personnel chief, since in his hands is concentrated the power to punish, dis-
charge, etc. The party committee must make reports daily on the departments
of the hospital visited and the conditions observed there. Since this.com-
mittee is made up of assistants and lower officials, it is easy to understand
hox incompetent the committee is to evaluate the work and value of individual
doctors. Doctors are responsible for the equipment assigned to them and for
any damage to "socialist property."
Bulgaria now has two higher schools of medicine, one in Sofia and the
other in Plovdiv. Immediately after the Communists came to power, basic
changes were made in the Medical Faculty of Sofia University. Most of the old
and well-known professors were characterized as "facists" and were purged.
Among them were the following: Dr Tosho Gosev, neurologist; Dr Penchev (fnu),
psychiatrist; Dr Fikov (fnu), specialist in children's diseases; Dr A1. Stani-
shev, surgeon, given the death sentence for being a former minister; Dr Kam-
burov (fnu), pathologist, who was attacked by a group of party members during
a lecture and died of a heart attack; and Dr Ivan Moskov, specialist in fo-
rensic medicine. Tlie Medical Faculty at that time contained only one professor
with Communist leanings, namely, Dr yankov (fnu), ortholaryngologist. After
the purge, the professorial chairs were distributed among doctors whose only
qualifications xere that they belonged to the Communist Party or were party
sympathizers.
At present, the teaching staff of the "Vulko Chervenkov" Medical pcadert~y
in Sofia consists of the following persons:
Anatomy -- Prof Dr Kedanov (fnu)
Histology -- Prof Dr Khadzhiolov (fnu)
Topographic anatomy -- Prof Dr Ba1an (fnu)
Internal diseases -- First Clinic, Prof Dr Chilov (fnu); Second Clinic,
Prof Dr Yonkov (fnu)
Specialized therapy -- Prof Dr Evgeni Nikolov
Surgery -- First Clinic, Prof Dr Kapitanov (fnu); Second Clinic, Prof
Dr Tomov (fnu)
Skin and ?renereal diseases -- Prof Dr Lyuben Popov
Children's diseases -- Prof Dr Lyuben Rashev [RachevlJ
Neurology and psychiatry -- Prof Dr Uzunov (fnu)
Hygiene -- Prof Dr Panov (fnu)
Forsenic medicine -- Prof Dr Marko Markov
Pathology -- Prof Dr OraP.hovats (fnu)
In addition to the medical academies, Bulgaria has the following advanced
special institutes of medicine:
1. The Oncological Institute, for cancer research; directed by Dr Gotse
Tenchov
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~? ISUL (Institute for Specialization and Advanced Training of Doctors);
directed by Prof Dr Tashev (fnu); his assistants are Dr Ivan Penchev and Dr
Tsonchev (fnu). The surgery department is headed by G.neral Dr Stoyanov (fnu)
who trained in the USSR and has a reputation as a "butcher."
3. The Institute of Public lIealth, which has bacteriological and serum
departments
An order which became effective several months ago prohibits physicians
from using the titles "doctor" or "professor." Ttie following new designations
have been created: Candidate of Medical Sciences, Doctor of Medical Sciences,
and Academician. A physician :rl:o wishes to use the title "C~:ndidate of Dfedical
Sciences" must take a special examination in historical and dialectical materi-
alism, as well as in his specialty. The title "Doctor of Medical Sciences"
requires, in addition to t2~e above examination, a scientific dissertation.
Bearers of the title "Academician" are selected from those holding the title
"Doctor of Medical Sciences." Tl:e purpose of this reform, fashioned on the
Soviet model, is to create a hierarchy of scientific worY,ers with proven
loyalty to Communism.
According to Communist claims, there are now approximately 9,000 Fnacticing
physicians in Bulgaria. A~1 physicians are obliged to work for the Ministry
of Public Health and Social ;Jelfare, in the place and the position assigned
by the hinistry. Physicians are nut prohibited from }raving private practices,
but after fulfilling their obligatory work for the state and under the tension
of fulfilling high production norms, and after attending obligatory political
conferences and meetings, the physicians have little time left for private
praotice. On the other hand, the exceptionally low incomds of the population
do not permit persons to go to physicians for private treatment. Physicians'
wages under the Ministry of Public Health and Social iJelfare fluctuate between
000 and 1,000 leva per month. The fee for private visits is fixed at Q leva.
Only well-known physicians can boast of a private practice. The best-
known is Dr Tsonchev (fnu) who is considered the best physician in Bulgaria
today. Other well-known physicians are the following: Dr Angel Popov; Dr
Boris Razsolkov, cardiologist; Dr Ev~eni Nikolov; Dr Tomov (fnu), surgeon;
Dr Kapitanov (fnu), surgeon; Dr Kamburov (fnu),,roentgenologist; Dr Khr.
Penchev; Dr Lyuben Kovnchev; Dr G. Yankov; and Dr Erofim Khristov, roent-
genologist. It is noteworthy that physicians who completed their training
after the Conmiurists came to power de not Dave the confidence of the population.
According to information cocaine from Bulgaria, tuberculosis is widespread.
It has been estimated that not lass than 35 :percent of the population suffers
from tuberculosis. A lame part of the population also suffers from stomach
ulcers. The reasons for this are tl:e following: undernourishment; heavy and
fatiguing work, due to the unduly higYr norms in all fields; intolerable
nervous tension, a result of the constant fear of informers, persecution,
arrest, etc.; lack of funds for treatment and rest; and a shortage of drugs
and medicines.
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