The Association for the Development of Bulgarian Healthcare (ADBH) announced on Friday that it plans to submit a formal complaint on Monday to the Commission for Protection against Discrimination. The complaint targets the Bulgarian Medical Association and the National Health Insurance Fund regarding their refusal to incorporate funding for biomarker diagnostics within the National Framework Contract. The association stated that these diagnostic tests are critical because they determine a specific cancer or metastasis’s sensitivity to various medications.
Without access to such testing, patients are limited to older, basic therapies that can be poorly tolerated and often prove ineffective. Currently, Bulgaria stands as the only country in the European Union where patients must finance these vital biomarker tests privately, with costs estimated to range between EUR 500 and EUR 2,500. In its filing with the Commission, the ADBH will seek a ruling confirming discrimination against cancer patients and will request that state authorities be compelled to remedy the situation.
The patient organization is encouraging 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 their rights, including seeking compensation for damages. The core issue stems from the reallocation of funds. Although resources for biomarker diagnostics were initially allocated in the National Health Insurance Fund’s 2026 budget, an amendment passed during the second reading shifted these funds from the medical services budget line to the medical devices budget line.
Topics: #association #discrimination #biomarker
