Most Medicine Graduates in Bulgaria's Sofia Willing to Leave Country

Three-quarters of people who graduated the Medical University of Sofia in 2015 seek to leave the country, a survey cited by private bTV station shows.

Low salaries are the reason most frequently pointed out, despite Sofia's place as the Bulgarian city with highest average monthly payment.

Other problems pointed out include issues in the healthcare system, difficulties in career growth, and the lack of modern equipment.

As many as 315 people graduated from the Medical University in Sofia last year.

Nationwide, doctors number 31 383, more than a third of them being aged between 51 and 60 and only 8.83% aged below 30.

Over the first quarter of 2016, doctors who left the country number 153. They opted not only for Western Europe, but also for Greece and Cyprus, bTV reports.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov criticized young doctors and Medicine graduates for their mass exodus despite all the funding provided by the state for their education in the country.

However, doctors have been among the qualified specialists from Bulgaria often sought in Western Europe and elsewhere.