7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
1/19
Speaker: Mr. Silvi Gavrilov
Deputy Chairperson of NPO
THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS
THE BULGARIAN NATIONAL PATIENTS ORGANIZATION
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
2/19
Administration
AimTo protect the
rights and interests
of patients and to
advocate for better
healthcare
Membership
The largest umbrella
organization - over 80
patient organizations
BG Network
MoH, HIF, Parliament,
regulators, etc.
EU Network
EPF, EFPIA, IAPO,
ELPA, WHO, WHA
Administration
Office based in Sofia with
expert dedicated team
The National Patients Organization
Status
Nationally represented
organization working for
the benefit of patients in
Bulgaria
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
3/19
Organizational Capacity
Active Steering Committee (7 patient organizations leaders)
Engaged experts doctors, advocates, lawyers, PR experts
Expert administrative staff
Close collaboration with members and regional
representatives
Quick response to submitted queries from patients and
members
Elaboration and establishment of a Youth Group of the NPO
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
4/19
Success Stories
Annual Patients Congress (since 2011)
Health Inequalities Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria (2012) and follow-up
event in the EU Parliament (2013)
Recognized by MoH as a nationally represented patients organization
and involved in all workgroups deliberating legislation on healthcare
including pricing schemes and healthcare budget
Involved with the National Assemblys Commission on healthcare
Voting on every legislative act and law being proposed for hearing
before the National Assembly
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
5/19
To raise awareness of and demand transparency and accountability in the
healthcare system;
Providing the patients perspective the
patients point of view is unique as it comes
from personal experience and exhibits ones
understanding of their illness, their socialand economic burden
Protection of public fund expenditures by
monitoring their lawful allocation
The Role of Society and Patients in Bulgaria
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
6/19
Source of patients expertise andexperiences from within the
healthcare environment
Involvement in work groupsunder the health authorities
Monitoring the transparencyand effectiveness of the
healthcare system
Expert opinion on various healthbills
Elaborating and organizingvarious public case findings on
socially significant diseases
Elaborating and organizing jointactions with stakeholders and
health authorities
Mechanisms for Patients Influence and Involvement
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
7/19
GOOD PRACTICES FROM BULGARIA
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
8/19
Topic: Politicians and patients - together for changeOrganized in collaboration with the European Patients Forum and under the
patronage of the Bulgarian minister of healthcare and MEP Dr. Andrey Kovatchev
162 delegates participated among whom:
Health ministers (Bulgaria, Croatia)
Politicians (Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia)
Patients organizations representatives
Official representatives of EU institutions
Members of European Parliament
Outcomes
A Resolution was adopted by all participants at the event
Analytical study on healthcare deficiencies was elaborated and targeted to patient
leaders from 15 EU Member States
Preliminary discussion was made for a follow-up event in the European Parliament
First Conference on Healthcare Inequalities in the
New EU Member States, 20-21 September 2012
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
9/19
Nearly 300 patient leaders took part in the study
Inequalities in healthcare systems are being recorded, as
well as good practices and opportunities for sharing
experience
Results are presented at a policy meeting in the European
Parliament on 26 June, 2013
Survey Among Patient Leaders from the New EU
Member States and Acceding States
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
10/19
Topic: Inequalities in healthcare systems in the new EU Member States.Equity of access to quality healthcare.
Under the patronage of MEP Dr. Andrey Kovatchev, in cooperation with the
European Patients Forum (EPF)
Presented at the event:
Results stemming from the First Conference, held in Sofia in 2012
Results of the study conducted among patient leaders
Best practices from the European region
The vision of the EU institutions for battling health inequalities
June 26, 2013
Conference on Health Inequalities in the
European Parliament, Brussels
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
11/19
COLLABORATION
FUNDAMENTAL PART IN DEVELOPING
QUALITY HEALTHCARE STANDARDS
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
12/19
Example:
Public council on healthcare informal entity,
comprised by stakeholders in the
healthcare sector: Bulgarian Doctors
Union, Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union,Bulgarian Association of Healthcare
Professionals, Bulgarian Dentists Union,
nationally representative patient
organizations, others
Informal cooperationBy founding legal entities (organizations/associations/etc.) who
work for changing the public attitudes and influencing health
authorities to amend deficiencies in health legislation
Opportunities for collaboration with stakeholders
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
13/19
Examples where patient leaders engage with
state authorities:
Advisory Board of the NHIF which develops
the annual budget for health care
Commission for medical treatment abroad
Advisory Board under the Ministry of
finance
Working groups under the MoH
Working groups under the Healthcare
Commission of the National Assembly
Formal cooperation
By direct participation of patient leaders in the work of the
authorities and institutions as consultants
Opportunities for Collaboration with Health
Authorities and Institutions
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
14/19
Example:
Public debate on healthcareApril 23rd, 2013
Participants in the event were leading healthcare stakeholders as well
as political representatives of GERB, BSP, ADP, ATAKA, and DSB
Political parties presented their work plans on state healthcare for the
next mandate.
Formal cooperationBy organizing meetings, forums, press conferences and public
events where healthcare issues are put for discussion
Opportunities for Collaboration with Political
Leaders
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
15/19
Ongoing Cooperation with Other Patient Organizations
Open to collaboration with regional and internationalpatients organizations
The Secretariat regularly consults with the membership on
strategic changes in national or regional legislation impacting
the patient communitiesThe NPO membership is actively being engaged to work
collectively on critical issues for the
patient communities, like: pricing
schemes, access to treatment,
medicines, etc.
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
16/19
NPO is well recognized by national media who are always invited to
provide coverage of media and public events
The Secretariat maintains a list of journalists specialized in medical
affairs who provide the most coherent coverage
External communication takes onto several media vehicles,
including: press releases, newsletters, popular social network
channels, TV and radio interviews, newspaper editorials and other
Ongoing Cooperation with the Media
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
17/19
Recognized as a nationally representative patient
organization
Representative of the NPO in the Supervisory
Board of the NHIF
Voting on legislation developed by the NHIF
Regular requests for consultations submitted by
the NHIF
NPO receives most recent amendments in
legislation quickly and distributes them over thepatient network
Ongoing Cooperation with the National Health Insurance
Fund
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
18/19
We provide legal review and advice on matters concerningmedical affairs, most notably:
Administrative regulations by the institutions
The NPO delivers its stance from the patients position inaccordance with the current legislation on competition,
healthcare legislation and discrimination of patients health
rights.
Ongoing Cooperation with Commission for Protection of
Competition
7/27/2019 The Power of Partnerships - The Bulgarian National Patients' Organization
19/19
BETTER LIFE THROUGHCOLLABORATION!
Our motto is