20% of Bulgarians Have Never Been To a Health Checkup

One fifth of all Bulgarians have never been to a general medical examination, shows a survey of the Open Society Institute in Sofia. 

One third of the 1100 respondents say, they do not trust the health system and prefer self treatment with medications they have already tested, shows the survey, quoted by the Trud daily. Of them 10% say they do not trust the doctors, while 50% say they don't need specialized help because they know well what medicines to take. 

Another 13.4% say they don't go to the doctor, because they can't afford it. 

One third of respondents said the health care in Bulgaria is of low quality. For others the main problem is the absence of a doctor nearby. The majority of those respondents live in central northern and south eastern Bulgaria and said they have to travel a long distance to consult a medical specialist. 

A 2011 survey of Open Society shows, that the patients complain of rude staff in the hospitals – 46%, bad hygiene – 31%, late or refused treatment due to bureaucratic hindrances – 26%. Over 15% of the respondents said they were asked for a bribe in order to get treatment.