The Association for the Development of Bulgarian Healthcare (ADBH) announced on Friday that it plans to submit a complaint on Monday to the Commission for Protection against Discrimination. The complaint targets the Bulgarian Medical Association and the National Health Insurance Fund regarding the exclusion of financing for essential biomarker diagnostics within the National Framework Contract. The association emphasized that biomarker testing is critical because it determines a specific cancer or metastasis’s sensitivity to various medications.
Without these diagnostic results, patients are limited to older, less tolerable, and often ineffective therapeutic options. Currently, Bulgaria is noted as the sole European Union nation where individuals must cover the costs of this testing privately, with expenses reported between EUR 500 and EUR 2,500. In its formal complaint, the ADBH seeks a determination of discrimination against cancer patients and requests that state authorities take action to rectify the situation.
The patient advocacy group is urging any individuals who have paid for biomarker testing out-of-pocket to contact the association so their cases can be included in further legal actions aimed at protecting patient rights, including potential claims for compensation. Adding context to the dispute, funds earmarked for biomarker diagnostics were originally allocated within the National Health Insurance Fund’s 2026 budget. However, during the second reading of the budget, an amendment was adopted that relocated these funds from the medical services budget line to the medical devices budget line.
Topics: #association #discrimination #biomarker
