Bulgarian opposition socialists table motion of no confidence over healthcare
Bulgaria’s largest opposition party, the socialists, tabled on October 15 a motion of no confidence in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov, on the topic of the government’s alleged failures in the healthcare sector.
After filing the paperwork in Parliament, socialist leader Kornelia Ninova said that the party was opposed to the government’s proposed changes to the healthcare system.
The ruling coalition backing Borissov’s government “does not want and is unable to fix the catastrophic state of healthcare,” Ninova said, as quoted by Bulgarian National Radio.
The alternative was a complete overhaul of the system, changing the status of hospitals to a new type of “social enterprises” instead of commercial entities and strengthening government “management, regulation and oversight of healthcare.”
Somewhat contradicting herself, in criticising the Cabinet’s current proposals to increase mandatory medical insurance by 12 leva a month, Ninova said that “the state is the worst payer” in the system.
This is the third motion of no confidence in the Borissov government tabled so far this year. The previous two, on the topics of corruption and security, failed with by nearly identical vote margins.
Should the National Assembly schedule a debate on the motion this week, the vote could be held as early as next week, as Parliament rules state that the vote on a motion of no confidence can be held no sooner than a week after the debate.