EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion
The month was marked by the extremely high activity of our health economist Arkadi Sharkov in the media. Currently, a deep public debate is underway in our country regarding the problems in the healthcare system and the necessary reforms that can solve them. Sharkov and others took an active part in this debate on all sorts of topics in the healthcare sector, naming the problems with expert accuracy and offering real, working solutions.
Earlier this month, his brief overview of the NHIF's wasteful drug policy found its way into the popular free daily newspaper 19 Minutes. His article pointed out that in half a year, the NHIF had spent 63% of its budget on drugs, with most of this money going into the pockets of pharma oligarchs like Ognyan Donev, Veselin Mareshki, and Kiril Domuschiev.
On September 12, Arkadi Sharkov visited the national radio and two national television stations. On the Bulgarian National Radio, he commented on the government's idea to demonopolize the health fund, emphasizing that this is a necessary reform, but not a panacea. On the air of TV Europe, Sharkov explained to the viewers the peculiarities of pricing in healthcare and gave an overview of the various reform proposals that have been launched in the public space so far.
In "Face to Face" with Tsvetanka Rizova, Arkadi Sharkov and former Health Minister Mimi Vitkova sharply criticized the idea of mandatory health insurance proposed by the state. According to them, the state has abdicated its responsibilities and is trying to transfer them entirely to the insurers.
Over the next two days, the EKIP health expert's theses were heard in the Bloomberg TV Bulgaria studio and published in Club Z, Dnes.bg and investor.bg. Sharkov once again emphasized the unsoundness of the mandatory health insurance proposed by the state. He predicted that the implementation of this idea would lead to serious problems, including bankruptcies in the insurance sector and an unclear future for cancer patients.
On September 27, on the Bulgarian National Radio, the health economist of the EKIP Arkadi Sharkov shared his impressions of the meeting between health experts (including himself) and the Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev. At the meeting, the Minister proposed two models for health reform that are not adequate to the problems of the current system. However, Sharkov considered it positive that the Ministry of Health is opening up to public debate. In the program “Delnitsi” on Eurocom, Sharkov once again defended his positions on health problems and their solutions and answered the questions of the television viewers.
The media sought the opinion of our authors on other topics in September. Invited to comment on the proposals to eliminate the profit of bread producers on the Bulgarian National Radio, the editor-in-chief of EKIP Georgi Vuldjev emphasized that in practice an attempt is being made to return central planning to the price mechanism of the economy. “Although negotiations are currently underway with large retail chains, nothing is being said about the smaller distributors – the small shops, which will suffer the most if the retail chains agree to sell without profit,” he said.
Commenting on the proposals of VMRO for a “social basket” in the studio of Bulgaria On Air, Vuldjev pointed out that such proposals will contribute to the development of the shadow economy. He pointed out that one of the serious blows to consumers associated with the winter period is the increase in the price of natural gas. According to him, the solution to this problem lies in changing the supply contract with Gazprom, which is a long-term but necessary move.
The chairman of the Bulgarian Liberal Democratic Party Stoyan Panchev also criticized the populist proposals of the VMRO for the “consumer basket” on TV Europe. According to Panchev, this unrealistic economic rhetoric is a signal that elections are coming. He also touched on the topic of healthcare and reform in the sector.
Panchev commented on the key issues of statehood in a Q&A with Klara Marinova on Bulgaria On Air. During the long and philosophically oriented conversation, he shared that in his opinion, the widespread distrust of Bulgarians towards institutions is not necessarily a bad thing, as it can lead to a debate about which institutions are needed and which are not. Panchev pointed out that unfortunately such a public debate does not happen, as the public environment has been turned into more of a show.
Towards the end of the month, our chairman was invited to comment on the UN General Assembly on “ Crossroads” with Evgeni Krastev. Panchev discussed the behavior of US President Donald Trump on the international stage, the global business cycle, and the impact of Trump’s economic protectionism on the global economy.
