Bulgarian Villages Cut Off from Healthcare Access

Four villages in southwestern Bulgaria have been cut off the local transport network and left without access to medical care for two months, public broadcaster BNT reports.

Located in Kocherinovo municipality, the villages are only home to dozens of people, nearly all of them being pensioners.

No buses are coming to the villages as line operators say there are not enough passenger. Neither is the local GP, who says there are no proper conditions for medical treatment of patients.

Residents of Krumovo, Boranovo, Dragodan and Borovets are forced to walk more than 10 kilometers to catch a bus and reach their GP in Kocherinovo, the municipal center and a town of 2300.

In one village, Krumovo, there was no tap water and street lighting during the nine years when she used to pay visits.

It will require a new tender with at least two candidates to open a new bus line. Officials say a public procurement procedure is in place, but authorities are waiting for interested bidders at the moment.

Any line operator will also have to receive state aid as there can be no profit from transportation in the region.