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Investments in the healthcare sector have to meet the growing medical needs of Bulgarian citizens and to improve its capacity
The healthcare sector in Bulgaria forms about 6.6% of Bulgaria’s GDP, according to data from two reports published in 2023 and respectively in 2024. The BGN 10 billion added value for the Bulgarian economy includes the BGN 7 billion contribution from the medical facilities and the BGN 2.8 billion contribution from the pharmaceutical sector.
The data are derived from the reports “Economic Footprint of Pharmaceutical Sector in Bulgaria” and “Economic Footprint of the of Medical Facilities in Bulgaria” prepared and presented by IQVIA with the support of ARPharM, BG Pharma, BATEL, respectively, of the Bulgarian Physician Union.
The direct contribution of the healthcare sector to the general state budget exceeds BGN 2.5 billion or 4.5%. This includes BGN 1.210 billion in contributions from the medical facilities in the form of paid corporate taxes, personal income taxes, and social security contributions, as well as BGN 1.3 billion in contributions from the pharmaceutical sector in the form of taxes, insurance, rebates and discounts to the NHIF for medicinal products. At manufacturer prices, which are among the lowest in Europe, in 2022 and 2023, the pharmaceutical companies contribute the NHIF with additional discounts and compensations of BGN 409 million and BGN 620 million respectively, which equates to 28 % of the NHIF budget for medicines.
More than 134,000 people work in the healthcare sector, of which 106,000 are employed in medical practices, hospitals, and other medical facilities, and 28 thousand are employed in the pharmaceutical sector. The activities of those engaged in the sector also support the establishment of 460,000 jobs in other sectors of the Bulgarian economy.
The sums paid as salaries and compensations in the healthcare sector for one year amount to nearly BGN 2.8 billion, of which BGN 2 billion were paid in the medical facilities sector and BGN 1.8 billion in the pharmaceutical sector.
The significant contribution of the healthcare sector to the Bulgarian economy is generated in circumstances where healthcare expenditure although increasing in recent years, is below the average EU level - only 8.6% of GDP (10,6 for the EU).
When calculating the total economic contribution of the two sectors (pharmaceutical and medical facilities sectors), various indicators were taken into account, such as the values of labor remuneration in the sector and the number of employed persons, the indirect contribution to the incomes of households and workplaces (the sector of medical facilities), the rebates to the NHIF and taxes (for the pharmaceutical sector), the value of the products produced in Bulgaria by the companies and the investments in clinical trials (for the pharmaceutical sector), the value of the saved costs through the introduction of generic medicines (for the pharmaceutical sector), the added value through realized training campaigns for patients, doctors and other experts in the field (for the pharmaceutical sector), etc.
More information and data from the reports can be found here:
https://blsbg.com/bg/ikonomicheski-prinos-na-lechebnite-zavedeniia-v-blgariia_p11923.html
