INSURANCE WITH SPECIALIST DOCTORS AND HEALTH CARE PECIALISTS IN REGIONAL CITIES WITH MEDICAL UNIVERSITIES IN BULGARIA

People are the most important resource for any organization, including healthcare. The analysis of the geographical distribution of human resources in the “Healthcare” sector in the Republic of Bulgaria shows that there are certain disproportions. The lack or insufficiency of specialists can lead to a deficit in the diagnostic-treatment-rehabilitation activity in certain medical specialties, or to non-use of certain available medical equipment. The purpose of the present study is to examine the number and relative share of doctors with a specialty and health care specialists, where they are most numerous - in the cities where there are medical universities in Bulgaria and their adjacent areas for 2021. The following methods were used to carry out the research: documentary method - based on official data from the National Statistical Institute, comparative analysis, economic analysis, mathematical-statistical method, tabular analysis. Based on the obtained results, it is clear that in Bulgaria the number of general practitioners is the highest - 3,945, and the number of “Infectious Diseases” specialists is the lowest. Per 10,000 people of the population, the highest share of doctors and medical specialists in health care is in Pleven district, 67.3 and 95.0, respectively, and the lowest in Varna district, respectively – 50.7 and 63.8. The number of doctors in Bulgaria is above the average for the European Union, but despite this there is a serious shortage of doctors in certain specialties, which had its impact on the treatment of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our country is one of the countries in the EU with the lowest provision of nurses. Their shortage is due to several factors, among them the emigration of trained nurses, the aging of the workforce - with the average age of this type of specialist being over 50, dissatisfaction with wages and working conditions. The human factor is a significant element in any healthcare organization at all levels. The provision and use of other types of resources depends on human resources. A higher supply of doctors implies a stronger health sector, and a higher supply of health care professionals, and above all nurses, is a guarantee of more economical and better health care.