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Being an Old Crock, and having a wife with serious medical issues and in-laws who are even Older Crocks than I, more than my fair share of experiences with the medical services here have come my way.

The Health Service here is antiquated and the treatment you get in the state sector is generally okay but definitely in need of modernisation.  There are too many doctors who have no idea what "bedside manner" means and - especially in the public sector - a lot of the senior medics are arrogant and/or past their "Use By" date.  The situation vis-à-vis blood transfusions, specifically the requirement for patients to magically conjure up replacement blood stocks  to replenish the amount used on them, is both bizarre and very worrisome at a time of medical and emotional stress.

We're lucky enough to be able to pay for private medical treatment, which also means that there is no wait to see whichever specialist you want, but again the Peter Principle applies, so one can't assume that purportedly senior medics are going to be on a par with those in "normal" European countries.

It's definitely the case here that if you want to be healthy, you should do your darnedest to stay away from doctors....

Having had to spend 5 days in Shumen Hospital I can confirm that the 'Healthcare System' is VERY antiquated! I haven't experienced that level of regimentation for over 30 years.. I trained as a nurse back in 1997 and I would equate the Bulgarian Healthcare to 1970's UK.

@mccallum

Bulgaria is very unusual (or perhaps even unique) in that (most) private hospitals are affiliated with the public health system and get reimbursement from it. Many expats don't even realize that this situation exists, as they assume public hospitals = free healthcare and private hospitals = very expensive healthcare.

We live mostly in Plovdiv, where we have 2 very nice private hospitals (Pulmed and Medline) a few minutes away. If I need a larger hospital with more specialists I've gone to Akibadem Tokuda in Sofia. It is a wonderful luxury to get VIP medical treatment whenever you want it, at an unbelievably low cost.

In the UK's NHS, there is a structured system where you start with your GP, and if he thinks there's an issue he might refer you to a hospital to see a consultant or get some scans. However, such a referral might take some weeks/months before your appointment. Here. I've had multiple scans and seen multiple specialists pretty much on the day I want.

So far, I've had an absolutely exceptional healthcare experience here.