A personal doctor for Ukrainians with «temporary protection» status

What are «osigurovki»?

The state health insurance system in Bulgaria works as follows: all citizens of the country of working age (as well as foreigners with a permanent residence permit, EU long-term resident status and «temporary protection» status) pay monthly the so-called «zdravni osigurovki». This is a social tax, which is paid by the employer for those in work, while the unemployed have to pay it themselves. The following are exempt from paying it:

• children under 18;
• Bulgarian pensioners;
• some other categories of citizens;
• all refugees with «temporary protection» status — during the first 3 months after arrival;
• refugees over 60 with «temporary protection» status — for the entire period of stay in Bulgaria.

Those who pay «osigurovki», as well as those exempt from payment, are entitled to receive medical care in Bulgaria that is fully or partly covered by the health insurance fund («Zdravna kasa», or NZOK). To receive medical care you need to see a personal doctor, with whom you must register in advance.

How to register with a personal doctor

The first thing to do is to register with the tax service, the National Revenue Agency (NAP). For this you will need:

• a foreigner’s personal number (LNCh) — it is stated in the document granting temporary asylum;
• a passport;
• an address certificate (the owner of the property must obtain it from the Municipality in advance) — at some NAP offices it is not required.

With these documents you need to go to the NAP and obtain a certificate of health insurance status. For the first three months the state pays the osigurovki for refugees. After that, citizens of working age must pay them themselves (if they do not find work), or their employer will pay them (if work is found).

With the status certificate you can start looking for a personal doctor («lichen lekar» in Bulgarian). A general practitioner can act as such a doctor. The list of doctors can be seen on the NZOK website (https://services.nhif.bg/references/lists/opl.xhtml), by specifying the required region and municipality.

It is generally held that a general practitioner cannot refuse to accept new patients, but in practice many doctors may be too busy, and in that case you have to turn to their colleagues. If you are unable to find a personal doctor, you can ask for help at the regional NZOK office of the chosen region.

After registering with a personal doctor, you need to obtain a health insurance book for dental visits. This document is obtained directly from the personal doctor or at the regional NZOK office.

An appointment with a personal doctor costs 2,9 leva, pensioners pay 1 lev, children under 18 and some other categories pay nothing. You should go to this doctor with any symptoms. If necessary, the personal doctor will prescribe treatment, issue a referral for tests or to specialists. If you want to go straight to a specialist, the appointment will be chargeable without a referral from your personal doctor. The only exception is the dentist — you can go to one without a referral, but you need a health insurance book for the visit.

Initial registration with a personal doctor can take place on any day. But you can only change your doctor, if for some reason they do not suit you, during June or December. To do this you need to come to the newly chosen doctor with your documents and a certificate from the NAP confirming that the «zdravni osigurovki» have been paid.

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