Healthcare in Bulgaria - entitlements for foreigners owning property in Bulgaria
If you are considering buying property in Bulgaria it is important to check out your healthcare entitlement. Comprehensive private medical insurance may be a sensible option when your Bulgarian home is to be your permanent residence, but also if you will be making regular visits to your home in Bulgaria.
UK nationals with property in Bulgaria
Owning property in Bulgaria does not entitle you to healthcare in Bulgaria at UK expense. What is more, if you live year-round in your Bulgarian home, you are not entitled to free non-emergency treatment in the UK either, because you are not ordinarily resident there.
Under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement, UK nationals have to pay for all their healthcare in Bulgaria except emergency medical and dental treatment. Just as Bulgarians do. This is the case whether you live permanently in your home in Bulgaria or are simply visiting on holiday.
To qualify for this free treatment you have to present a UK passport and NHS medical card. (Check the Department of Health´s website) for current healthcare agreements between the UK and Bulgaria.
Even if you receive free emergency treatment, you may find you have to pay for some after-care drugs, and all medicines bought at a public pharmacy have to be paid for. The good news is that medicines cost a lot less than in the UK. Most familiar medicines are available, although some antibiotics may be supplied in higher doses than would be prescribed in the UK.
Check out the medical centre closest to your property in Bulgaria
If you are intending to buy property in Bulgaria, it is advisable to visit the medical centre closest to your new Bulgarian home to check what services they can provide, especially in the case of an emergency. This is perhaps most pertinent if you are planning to retire to your home in Bulgaria or if you have young children.
Medical staff in most of these centres and clinics can usually be consulted for minor complaints and injuries for a fee of under 20 GBP while a consultation with a specialist practitioner would cost about 30 GBP. These charges are considerably more than Bulgarian nationals pay because a dual-pricing system operates for non-emergency care.
Standards of care in hospitals and clinics
State-run hospital facilities and equipment tend to be basic compared with hospitals in the UK. Despite much improvement in recent years, standards of hygiene leave much to be desired and nursing skills do not always rate highly. Away from Sofia, it is unlikely you will encounter many staff who can speak English.
A growing number of private hospitals and clinics now offer affordable treatments in Bulgaria´s major towns and cities. While many appear to have established reputations for successfully treating certain complaints, some caution should be exercised as this sector of the healthcare market is unregulated.
Health insurance makes sense if you are moving permanently to your property in Bulgaria
Comprehensive health insurance for Bulgarian home owners is available from a number of British companies. International policies offer different levels of cover, including repatriation to the UK in the case of serious illness, so you should be able to find one that suits you, whether your home in Bulgaria is a permanent or holiday base.
