ORGANIZATION OF MEDICAL SERVICES IN BULGARIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A004500610005-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 30, 2007
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: July 19, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
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COUNTRY Bulgaria
SUBJECT Organization of Medical Services
in Bulgaria
2511
640228
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
Ministry of Health
1. The organization of the health services in Bulgaria was initiated immediately
after World War II, and since that time health services tiave been executed effi-
ciently and have shown good progress. In 1949s a Bulgarian delegation of the Mini-
stry of Health, seven department heads of the Ministry,, and a professor of hygiene
at the Plovdiv medical academy visited Moscow for two months to study the organi-
zation of Soviet health services. The delegation attended daily lectures by the
department heads of the Soviet Ministry of Health, stayed three days at the 2,500-
bed Botkin Hospital in Moscow., visited the Stalin Institute for sanitary research
and sera production., inspected the blood banks at the Kirov Institute, went
through several foodstuff factories, and visited the town of Zvinigorod., where
the members of the delegation studied the organization of the district and munici-
pal health services. When the delegation returned to Sofia, organization of Bul-
garian health services was; modified to coincide with the Soviet pattern.
2. The Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare, headed by Dr. Peter Kolarov,
is located at No. 5 Lenin Square, Sofia. The Minister has three deputies, each
responsible for one of the three principal departments of the ministry:
a. Department of sanitation (hygiene) and epidemiology;
b. Department of hospitals; and
c. Department of social insurance.
3? Subordinate to the three deputy ministers are three directors., one in each of the
above departments, who serve occasionally as acting Deputy Ministers. The actual
direction and control over each department's work is exercised by the department
chief., who is responsible to his director.
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to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
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REPORT I
DATE DISTR. 19 July 195
NO. OF PAGES 6
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!i. The department of sanitation and epidemiology has sub-departments of epidemiology,
communal sanitation, hygiene in schools, food hygiene, and hygiene in factories.
The department's staff consists of a chief, five physicians as sub-department chiefs,
six physicians as inspectors, one statistician, one draftsman, and two typists. Its
bacteriological laboratory has five physicians as section chiefs and two to three
laboratory assistants to each section. Its joint chemical laboratory has five
chemists, one veterinarian, one zoologist, and 15 to 20 laboratory assistants.
5. In addition to the three ministerial departments, there are several other groups in
the Ministry which are controlled directly by the Minister's office and which are
responsible directly to the Minister:
a. The Supreme Medical Council (Vissh Meditsinski Suvet), which holds regular
meetings at least four times annually and which may be convened at any time of
emergency. The permanent membership consists of the three directors, the three
department chiefs, the two laboratory chiefs, 11 outstanding physicians the leading medical institutions of the country, and the chief ~.phs selected
of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Transport) physician
b. The National Sanitary Inspectorate (Durzhavna Sanitarna Inspektsiya), which
deals with the scientific aspects of communal and industrial hygiene and furn-
nishes advice for and control of the chemical co*position of pharmaceuticals.
The Inspectorate, established in 1952, was modeled on a similar department of
the USSR which is responsible directly to the Council of Ministers, rather than
to the Ministry of Health. The staff of the Inspectorate, five physicians and
one pharmacist, is directed by a physician who is responsible to one of the
Deputy Ministers)
c. Department for professional training, which is jointly directed by the three
department chiefs. This group supervises medical academies, nurses' schools
and the training of medical aides;
d. General Ministerial Inspectorate, with six members, whose task is to eliminate
or reduce inter-departmental or personal differences which threaten to disturb
the smooth operation of the Ministry and its district offices;
e. Legal and coordination department, which furnishes liaison with other mini-
stries, prepares contracts, and drafts bills. It is headed by a jurist who
has the rank of adviser to the Minister)
f. Supply department, which stores and distributes hospital equipment and medical
apparatus to the medical institutions throughout the country;
g. Joint administrative department, serving the entire Ministry;
h. Central archivesi and
i. Party secretary, who is also head of the National Sanitary Inspectorate.
6. The staff of the Ministry of Health totalled 252 officials in 1951 and increased
somewhat during the following two years. In 1953, personnel was reduced by 10
percent, and an additional cut of 10 percent is scheduled for 1954. Since so many
staff members are middle-aged and old physicians, the percentage of Party members
in the Ministry of Health is probably less than 50 percent, which is considerably
lower than in any other ministry.
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Regional Health Offices
7. Paralleling the organization of the Ministry of Health is the organization of the
regional health offices. There are a total of 13 health offices: One for the
city of Sofia, and one each for the following regions located at Vidin, Pleven,
Ruse, Kolarovgrad (formerly Shumen), Stalin (formerly Varna), Vratsa, Plovdiv,
Stara Zagora, Sofia, Blagoevgrad (formerly Gorna Dzhumaya), Petrich, and Burgas.
8. The district health officers, of which there are 103 in Bulgaria, are subordinate
to the regional health office. Further, each town has a municipal health officer,
whose organization is parallel to that of the district office and which in turn
controls the rural health office.
9.
Particularly good progress has been made in the fields of preventive medicine,
communal- hygiene, and industrial hygiene. There have been no epidemics on any
significant sc4e during the past few years. Malaria has almost completely disappear'
ed, except for isolated cases which are dealt with both promptly and efficiently. 111J-
culations and vaccinations against the following diseases are given free of charge to
the population:
a. Smallpox: To new-born babies and repeated at the age of 5, 10, 15, and 21;
b. Diphtheria: Two or three times per year up to the age of 13;
c. Typhoid and paratyphoid (both A and B): A2nost everyone has received at least
one inoculation; This is obligatory and will be given once a years
d. Cholera: For military personnel and for inhabitants of the border districts;
e. Tetanus: To military personnel and to workers employed in installations where
the danger of tetanus infection..may exist;
f. Spotted fever: To medical personnel once a year;
g. Dysentery: Only in case of epidemics;
h. Malaria: Only in case of epidemics; and
i. Tuberculosis: Approximately one-third of the population has already been ino-
culated with BCZ; ,everyone will receive one inoculation.
10. A reserve stock of equipment for emergency use is kept in a depot at No. 5-7 Rositsa
Street, Sofia. This equipment cannot be used to make up shortages in normal hospi-
tal accommodation. The reserve stock includes 300 hospital beds (complete with
sheets and blankets),'hospital tents (from 2-.)to 32-bed capacities), and bacterio-
logical installations.
11. The principal problem of Bulgarian health authorities is the high incidence of
tuberculosis. Apart from the BCZ inoculation being given to everyone, health
authorities make frequent medical checks at schools, factories, and military installa-
tions. Anyone with the sli gtitest indications of tuberculosis is X-rayed and given
immediate treatment. However., the current hospital accommodations and facilities
for treatment are not satisfactory, and clinics have been opened in larger towns to
give pneumathorax treatment and to perform minor operations, but their principal
purpose is to keep patients isolated until they can be admitted to hospitals. The
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clinics have not been able to accept all tubercular
patients., to remain at home until space becomes available iina clnic. Therfollowin ?f
sanitariums are known: g
a. Iskaets (N 142-59, E 23-114), 250 to 300 beds;
b. Vladaya (N 142-53, E 23-12), 150 beds
;
C. Troyan (N 142-53, E 214-43), 250 beds;
d. Stalin (Varna), for children;
e. Tryavna (N 142-52, E 25-30);
f. Luzhene (N 142-01 2
s $ 100), reserved for teachers; and
g. Sofia (Dimitnr Nestorov Street), 150 beds.
Sofia Health Office
12.
Th
or
has
car
a.
b.
e Sofia municipal health office (Sofiyski Gradski Zdraven Otdel) has the same
ganizational structure and rank as a regional health office.
six branch offices in the six precincts (rayons) where the acThe
tual worklisffice
ried out. The organization of the municipal health office is as follows:
Director of the municipal health services and chief physician;
Department for hygiene (sanitary inspectorate);
c.
d.
e.
f.
Department of hospitals and polyclinics;
Department for maternity care;
Department for tuberculosis and venereal diseases;
Department of sodal insurance; and
g.
Administration.
13.
The department for hygiene is organized as follows:
a.
Five physicians: One epidemiologist and one each in charge of communal
schools, factories, and foodstuffs; hygiene,
b.
Two laboratories: One bacteriological with three
and o
c.
ne chemical with five chemists and six assistant tsicians and six assistants,
Disinfection stati
on, located at No. 21 gird i Metodi Street: One physician
one assistant, and 21 workers; and
d.
Hygiene information: Two icians- The
Nesto
ho
at No.
rov Street, the only
5 Dim tur
spital in Sofi
i
a for infect
ous disease
trolled by this department. s, is con-
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14* The department of hospitals controls the following hospitals in .
Sofi
aCentral Municipal .
a?
Hospital, located in a 4-story building on Patriarkh Eftimi
Street in the first rayon. The building was completed in 1954 and
beds. Adjacent to it is a separate 80-bed hospital for tube culosis,cance cancer
research, and children's diseases] r
b. A 100-bed hospital-near the railroad station in the second rayon. I
surgical, internal p and gynecological departments; t has
c. A 150-bed hospital on Stamboli
yski Street in the third rayon
d. The former. Red Cross Hospitalp with all departments) except tuberculosis., innfectious diseases, and venrr. It has
Attached to the hospital is the municipal first-aid station` Bneeal diseases,
e. A 1100-bed hospital on Chumerna Street in the fifth ra on. It aLl and
ments except infectious diseases. Specialization and refresheracou sesefort-
PbYsicians are held here;
f. The 2,000-bed hospital of the Sofia Medical Academy.
15. The department for maternity care controls these hospitals:
a. A 250- to 200-bed ward at the University clinic;
b. The 200-bed municipal maternity hospital on Tudor Peshev Street;
c. An 80-bed hospital on Samuil Street;
d. An 80-bed hospital on Oborishte Street;
Go A 220-bed children's hospital on Dimitur NestorDV Street
f. A 120-bed children's hospital on As
parukh Street and
g. An 80-bed children's hospital on Aprilov Street.
16. The department for tuberculosis and venereal diseases controls these hospitals:
a? A 150-bed tuberculosis hospital on Dimitur Nestorov Street;
b. The tuberculosis wards of the Municipal Hospital in the first rayon and of the
Un Hn#vbrsity clinic i and
~
co The venereal diseases wards at the University clinic and On
Personalities of the C~erna Street.
I~t of Health
17? Angelov (fhu) is a dental surgeon
employed to 1953 he was secretary of theartt
Y organization in department the Ministry. of st
From 18. Cholakov (fhu) is head of the caabiied legal and coordinatin de
the rank of adviser to the Minister. g partment. He holds
19. Professor Gelobov (emu) is a Deputy Minister in charge of po clini
tals. 1Y can and hospi-
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20. Dr. Veselin Denchev is head of the National Sanitary Inspectorate and sacra+~,
of the Party organization in +ha M;.,; -4..-.
21. Dr. Salvator Israel, formerly head of the department of sanitation and epidemiology,
is now employed by the Sofia munici
l h
pa
ealth office.
22. Ivanov-(fnu) is head of the department of social insurance.
23. Professor Ivan Ivanov was a member of th
th
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e me
214. Dochankov (fhu) was a member of the medical delegation to Moscow in 19149. He was
released in 1951 from the position of head of medical cadres in the Ministry
now manages a health resort. ~1
25. Dr. Kozlovski (fhu) was chief physician of the Ministry of Transport in 1951-1952.
26. Manolov (fnu) was a member of the medical delegation to Moscow in 1949. He is now
head of the sub-department of hygiene propaganda.
27. Kons tantin Kusitasev is head of the Ministry's chemical laboratory.
28. Mitov (fnu) is a Deputy Minister in charge of social insurance.
29? Dr. Mitrov (fnu) is head of the medical cadres department.
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30. Netkov (fnu) was a member of the medical delegation to Moscow in 19149. He lost
his position as head of the polyclinics sub-department in the Ministry in 1951 and
is now employed by the Sofia municipal, health office.
31. Nikolchev (fhu) was a member of the medical delegation to Moscow in 19149. He lost
his position as head of the pharmaceutics department in the Ministry in 1951 and
is now working in a pharmaceutical laboratory.
32. Khristo Petkov is director of the department of polyclinics and hospitals in the
Ministry.
33? Andrey Popov is head of the Ministry's bacteriological laboratory.
34. Dr. Lyuben Stoyanov is a deputy minister in charge of sanitation and epidemiology.
35. Todorov (fnu) is director of the department of sanitation and epidemiology.
36. Zakhariev (fnu) was a member of the medical delegation to Moscow in 19149. He lost
his position as head of the department of hospitals in the Ministry in 1951 and
is now an assistant professor at the Plovdiv medical academy.
37. Zonov (fnu), a specialist in children's diseases, was a member of the medical delega-
tion to Moscow in 19)49. He was released from a high position in the Ministry in
1951, then worked at the Sofia University Clinic, and is now back at the Ministry.
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