Sofia, April 7, 2019
On April 7, on International Health Day – “Doctor’s Day”, at UMPHAT “Tzaritza Yoanna – ISUL”, the new 29 health mediators from Class of 2019 received their certificates after intensive educational sessions and a successfully passed exam. They were trained by teams from the National Network of Health Mediators (NNHM) and the Bulgarian Family Planning Association (BFPA) as well as from tutors from the Public Health Faculty of the Medical University in Sofia. Guest-lecturers were representatives from UNICEF and the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. The training for acquiring the professional qualification of “Health Mediator” is being organized for a seventh consecutive year by the NNHM and the BFPA team takes part in the training as well as in the selection process for mediator candidates since the founding of NNHM itself a while ago.
Certificates were handed out by Prof. Ivailo Turnev, President of the Board of the “Minority Health Problems” Foundation and a member of the NNHM Board, and also by Antoaneta Eftimova, President of the Board of NNHM. The mediators were welcomed warmly by all the memers of the Examination Committee. The new additions to the health mediators this year again were selected after concourses held in the corresponding municipalities. The basic criteria for their selection are – high school diploma, part of the community they will work in and knowledge of the language community speaks; understanding the problems of the community. The municipalities in which in 2019 there will be mediators working for the first time are: Bansko, Boichinovtzi, Brusartzi, Byala, Gulyantzi, Ivailovgrad, Krumovgrad, Polski Trumbesh, Sadovo, Svishtov, Silistra, Stambolovo, Tzenovo, Cherven bryag. Thus the number of municipalities with working health mediators increases to 131.
Within the framework of the educational program the mediators were introduced to the regulatory base and the healthcare system in Bulgaria, the rights and obligations of the patient, and also received information about important socially significant diseases (treatment, prophylaxis and prevention). Special focus of the educational sessions were also vaccine-preventable diseases, early child development, prevention and counteracting of trafficking, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, family planning, field work. This year’s group demonstrated good knowledge, strong team spirit and a serious motivation.
In 2019 with a state allocated budget, in Bulgaria there are a total of 245 working health mediators with the 29 new ones. They support different health programs and projects for reduction and prophylaxis of infectious diseases and STIs, reducing the levels of child mortality with a main focus on vulnerable Roma groups. They support the efforts the Regional Health Inspectorates, general practitioners and municipalities in implemented by them healthcare campaigns. Collaboration between health mediators and all health institutions is key in view of the increasing cases of measles in Europe and the registered cases in Bulgaria during the last months. The newly trained mediators were off to a flying start – like Minka Donkova (on the photo) who organized the local Roma community in her home town of Karlovo to clean the neighborhood and the adjacent gully from the litter that had accumulated during the winter. Best of luck!