Health Mediation System for Disadvantaged Groups in Bulgaria
The profession of health mediation, which acts as a bridge between institutions and the public in areas experiencing poverty and problems accessing healthcare, is carried out by hundreds of experts across Bulgaria.
Emerging in 2001 to bridge the gap between people in need and institutions in areas where the population lives in poverty and has limited access to healthcare, the profession of health mediation is maintained with 370 mediators in more than 160 municipalities in Bulgaria.
The Emergence Process of the Profession
Prof. Ivailo Tournev stated that he started working with the Roma community more than 30 years ago. Tournev, head of the Neurology Clinic at Aleksandrovska Hospital in Sofia, expressed that he encountered poverty, a lack of access to healthcare, and severe social problems.
Development of the Bulgarian Model
Examining experiences in Europe, Tournev developed a Bulgarian model together with Dr. Pim de Graaf from the Netherlands Ministry of Health. The first neighborhood where five mediators started working was the Iztok neighborhood in Kyustendil.
Today, 370 health mediators serve in more than 160 municipalities of Bulgaria, 30 percent of whom have higher education.
Main Duties of Mediators
The primary duties of health mediators are to facilitate disadvantaged groups' access to health and social services, improve communication between doctors and patients, and promote the health culture of ethnic minorities.
Training and Certification Process
Health mediators acquire a professional qualification certificate after participating in a special training program jointly organized by the Faculty of Public Health at the Medical University of Sofia and the National Network of Health Mediators Association.
The initiative has continued to develop with the training of medical personnel, including doctors, dentists, and pharmacists, and the team has trained more than 50 Roma who are doctors or medical students.