BGN 15 million provided for medical students in specialties with staff shortages

BGN 15 million have been provided for medical students specialising in specialty areas with shortages of health-care professionals, the Health Ministry reported on its website on Thursday.

The funds are provided under the project "Promotion of Specialisation in Specialties and in Areas with Shortage of Specialists", within the framework of the Human Resources Development Programme 2021-2027, co-financed by the European Union. The project starts this month and will run until 31 December 2028.

The number of medical students that could be funded under the project, as well as the areas with the biggest shortages of specialists, were determined on the basis of an analysis by the National Centre for Public Health and Analyses, Ministry of Health said.

Financial assistance will first be provided to child health specialties - paediatric gastroenterology, paediatric endocrinology, paediatric cardiology, paediatric clinical haematology and oncology, paediatric neurology, paediatric nephrology and haemodialysis, paediatric pneumology and phthisiology, paediatric psychiatry and paediatric rheumatology

The conditions for application and the documents required for participation in the selection procedure are to be published on the website of the Ministry of Health.

The aim of the project is to support the provision of medical specialists in certain specialties and areas of the country where there is a shortage of personnel, as well as for a balanced territorial distribution.