The Association for the Development of Bulgarian Healthcare (ADBH) announced on Friday that it will file a complaint with the Commission for Protection against Discrimination on Monday. The complaint targets the Bulgarian Medical Association and the National Health Insurance Fund regarding their refusal to incorporate procedures for financing biomarker diagnostics into the National Framework Contract. The association stated that these diagnostics are essential for determining the sensitivity of specific cancers or metastases to certain medications.
Without such testing, patients are limited to older, basic therapies, which can be difficult to tolerate and may be ineffective. Currently, Bulgaria is the sole European Union nation where patients must finance biomarker testing out-of-pocket, with associated costs ranging from EUR 500 to EUR 2,500. In its complaint, the ADBH seeks a determination of discrimination against cancer patients and requests that state authorities issue an order to rectify the situation.
The patient organization is encouraging individuals who have paid for biomarker testing personally to contact the association so that their cases can be included in future legal actions aimed at protecting their rights, including seeking compensation for damages. Previously, funds for biomarker diagnostics had been allocated within the National Health Insurance Fund’s 2026 budget. However, during the second reading process, an amendment was adopted that reallocated these funds from the medical services budget line to the medical devices budget line.
Topics: #association #discrimination #biomarker
