Health Minister prof. Hinkov will leave the government after the rotation

Minister of Health, prof. Hristo Hinkov, said on January 11 that he will not stay in the government after the rotation of PMs in March. He explained that the decision was his personal and added that he did not feel political support from the group that nominated him. He announced that the last straw was an audit at the Pirogov emergency hospital in Sofia.

"The Pirogov case showed me that I would not be able to adequately manage a system that needs this reform. This reform is a change of managers who turn out to be ineffective," Hinkov said.

The health minister did not indicate who would succeed him in the post.

***

On December 5, 2023, Minister of Health, Hristo Hinkov, sacked the director of Pirogov emergency hospital, Valentin Dimitrov, over serious financial irregularities found during an audit at the hospital.

Valentin Dimitrov’s dismissal caused serious turmoil among the partners in the government.

The court put the replacement of the Director on hold. The parliamentary Health Committee asked the Health Minister to cancel the protocol issued to dismiss Dimitrov until all competent authorities have ruled on the case.

The Committee at the time said it believed that the report from the audit presented to it contained contradictory information and therefore they would demand an external auditor to perform the inspection in Pirogov.