The number of healthcare specialists in Bulgarian hospitals is drastically decreasing. According to data presented during the National Meeting of Nurses on July 10 in Sofia, the number of healthcare professionals in Bulgarian hospitals has decreased by about 40% in the last 15 years.

 Currently, there are 22,000 nurses in Bulgaria, but another 30,000 are needed to ensure quality care for patients, according to data from the professional organization published in May this year. Every third nurse is over 65 years old, and by the end of last year, there were nearly 24,000 nurses, just over 4,000 midwives and about 2,000 paramedics working in Bulgaria, according to data from the Association of Health Care Professionals.