Health Minister Katya Ivkova clarified that Regulation 26 allows nurseries to replace missing nurses with a combination of at least one childcare worker and one educator, if appointing a medical specialist is permanently impossible. This measure applies only on the condition that at least one medical specialist is provided within the facility itself. The decision follows parliamentary oversight on the subject, initiated by Elisaveta Belobradova ("Democratic Bulgaria"), who raised concerns regarding the shortage of nurses in Sofia's nurseries.
The Minister emphasized that nursery heads have room for maneuver: in the absence of staff, a single medical professional can be appointed to serve several different nursery groups, while the groups themselves are staffed with educators.
The changes in the rules for medical personnel in nurseries will be relevant for parents and childcare facilities in Burgas and the region.
Although the Health Minister stated that current regulations are quite clearly defined, she did not rule out a review of the rules. "Since there are conflicting interpretations, it is natural that, together with colleagues from the Ministry of Education and Science, we can initiate such a change to introduce a norm that is not subject to interpretation," Katya Ivkova stated. Possible corrections to the nursery regulation are aimed at eliminating any ambiguity in the application of the texts, especially in cases of a nurse shortage.