The Public Council for the National Security Council Resigned

This decision is difficult, but inevitable. Two and a half years after the creation of the Council with the idea of guaranteeing transparency, dialogue and quality, we find ourselves facing an impenetrable (in this format) wall: limited access to information, refusal of real conversation and replacement of the meaning of the project. Instead of a project filled with content, we get a „facade“. Instead of partnership – silence and restrictions on information

 

The Public Council was created to be a bridge between citizens, the pediatric community, parents, experts and the state. We worked in good faith, with invested time and professionalism, we gave tolerance to every new minister and director, we insisted on modern medical and architectural standards, on a human resources strategy, on sustainable financing, on transport connectivity and access. In response, we received „locked doors“. .

 

The reason for the collective resignation is the denial of access even to the members of the Council to the process of preparing the technical terms of reference for design. ZIKDB invoked the law to keep public scrutiny at a distance. The Ministry refused to include an architect and a designer in the composition of the Council, despite our repeated proposals. Thus, any errors or abuses will only be seen after the publication of the public procurement, when it will be too late for corrections.

 

We remind you: The National Children's Hospital is far from just another modern building, it is a modern concept for children's healthcare, requiring:

– competent management of a complex infrastructure project;

– constant dialogue with pediatricians and parents;

– reforms that guarantee access and quality for every child.

 

Today, key questions remain unanswered:

Will the hospital be a commercial company? How will sustainable financing be ensured? How will we attract and retain staff without depopulating the current clinics? Will there be a reform or will we simply move wards to a new building?

 

Despite the rejections, there are also achievements behind which the Public Council stands:

public access to the analytical reports of the international IDOM consortium;

contribution to the decision of the National Assembly of February 14, 2024 on monthly reporting of the Ministry of Health;

initiating expert discussions with pediatricians from across the country;

prioritizing the staffing crisis, infrastructure, and transport connectivity of the future hospital.

 

Our resignation is not a rejection of the cause, but the opposite. It is the last moral tool with which to point out that a real children's hospital will not work this way. We will continue to work as doctors, experts and citizens for a hospital that treats according to the standards of the 21st century and puts the child at the center of care!

In the video you can hear a comment from Nadejda Rangelova-Boyadjieva, Chairman of the Foundation #ForGood, immediately after today's last Council meeting.

Today, we are withdrawing trust from a process that has strayed from its meaning.

We are not withdrawing our trust from society and the children of Bulgaria.

 

About the reports on the activities of the Public Council see here.