Primary outpatient medical care in the conditions of a pandemic
General Medicine, 2023, 25(1), 3-8.
Ts. Petrova-Gotova1, D. Shopov2, M. Djuglarska1
1 Department of Health Economics, Faculty of Public Health „Prof. Tsekomir Vodenicharov, МD, DSc”, Мedical University ‒ Sofia
2 Department of Health Management and Health Economics, Faculty of Public Health, Мedical University ‒ Plovdiv
Abstract. The coronavirus pandemic has drastically affected the overall life of our country, with particular pressure on the healthcare system. General practitioners (GP) as the main figure in the primary outpatient medical care (PОMC) were one of the frontline contractors in the fight against COVID-19, who provided mass service to the health insured persons. The purpose of the current development is to analyze and evaluate the state and activity of the PОMC in the conditions of a pandemic. The results of the analysis show a significant drop in the number of GPs who have signed a contract with the NHIF in the conditions of a pandemic. The included financial incentives for the PОMC contractors ensured the reduced volume of the performed activities as a result of the introduced restrictive measures. An increase in health insurance payments for PОMC and the inclusion of transfer funds from the Ministry of Health was reported, directly related to the pandemic situation. The relative share of payments made for PIMP continues to be low. There has been an increase in the number of complaints submitted by health insured persons directly related to the activities of the GP.
Key words: GP, pandemic, public funding, reported and paid activity, financial incentives
Address for correspondence: Prof. Tsvetelina Petrova-Gotova, PhD, е-mail: ts.petrova@foz.mu-sofia.bg