The Association for the Development of Bulgarian Healthcare (ADBH) announced on Friday that it plans to file a complaint on Monday with the Commission for Protection against Discrimination. The complaint targets the Bulgarian Medical Association and the National Health Insurance Fund regarding their refusal to incorporate financing for biomarker diagnostics into the National Framework Contract. According to the ADBH, biomarker testing is essential for determining the sensitivity of specific cancers or metastases to various medications.
The association noted that without this diagnostic testing, patients are limited to older, less tolerable, and potentially ineffective standard therapies. Currently, Bulgaria stands as the sole EU nation where patients must cover the costs of this type of diagnostic testing privately, with expenses reported to range between EUR 500 and EUR 2,500. In its formal complaint, the association seeks a finding of discrimination against cancer patients and requests that state authorities take measures to rectify the situation.
The patient organization is urging individuals who have personally paid for biomarker testing to contact the association so that their cases can be included in future legal actions, which may include seeking compensation for damages. The issue stems from changes within the National Health Insurance Fund’s 2026 budget. Although funds for biomarker diagnostics had been allocated, an amendment adopted during the second reading reclassified these funds, moving them from the medical services budget line to the medical devices budget line.
Topics: #association #discrimination #biomarker
