Health Minister Seeks Resignation of the Head of National Health Insurance Fund

Bulgaria’s Health Minister Kiril Ananiev has asked for the resignation of National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) Director, Prof. Kamen Plochev.

Later on 16^th of February, Minister Ananiev explained that that Prof. Plochev made an inappropriate move by sending a letter to the Parliament asking for an update of the NHIF budget without notifying the Health Minister or the fund’s Supervisory Board first. The letter says that NHIF has liabilities of more than 270 million to other health insurance funds.

Acting over the head of the Board, the Health Minister and the Council of Ministers, he demanded a budget update, the Health Minister said. He explained that it was not in the powers of the NHIF Director to send such a letter to the Parliament’s Speaker. Plochev's explanation was that he was given a letter to Parliament's Speaker and the floor leaders, which he signed without reading it first.