ACCESSIBILITY TO MEDICAL SERVICES
The regulations of Bulgarian legislation refer to any citizens of EU member-countries. If they want to make use of the obligatory medical insurance rights, they have to attend only medical centres for in-patients or out-patients and independent medical diagnostics laboratories which have a contract with the National Health Insurance Fund. There they do not pay for the medical treatment apart from the patient’s charge. In cases of hospital treatment requiring more expensive medicines and consumables, the citizens of the EU pay extra the same prices as the Bulgarian patients who are health insured. In the first aid centres the foreign citizens will be treated as the Bulgarian ones. If necessary they will be transported to a nearby hospital. For the medical service received at the emergency treatment centre the foreigners do not pay.
Foreigners on a short-term stay in Bulgaria or transit passengers should have a health insurance or an insurance covering medical and hospital treatment expenses in the duration of their stay except there is another agreement under an international contract and the Republic of Bulgaria is a party of that contract.
Paragraph 5 of the regulation of the Council of Ministers determines the minimum insurance amount, the minimum insurance premium and the procedure to purchase obligatory insurance upon entering Bulgaria.
The regulations in paragraph 4-6 do not apply to foreigners on a short or long term visit to the Republic of Bulgaria who are subject to the rules of coordination of the social security systems by means of article1, issue 22 of the additional regulation of the Health Insurance Act.
The procedure of accessibility to medical help in the Republic of Bulgaria for people under paragraph 7 is determined by the regulation under article 81, paragraph 3 of the Health Act / official gazette, number 70/04/.
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
Whilst this card is accepted in some state run hospitals for emergency treatment (EU countries only) it must not be used as an alternative to comprehensive travel insurance.
FIRST AID
There are two first aid centres on the territory of Nessebar municipality.
The one in the town of Nessebar serves Nessebar, Sveti Vlas, Sunny Beach tourist complex, Ravda, Gyulovtsa, Orizare and Banya villages.
The other one is in the town of Byala and it covers Obzor, Priseltsi, Emona, Panitsovo, Rakovskovo and Koznitsa villages.
