EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion
The topics in the participation of authors from the EKIP in March concerned: social security, healthcare, religion.
Editor-in-chief Georgi Vuldjev, in the news on bTV, shared his concern about the falsification of documents for receiving a pension. According to him, there is no archival information available about what insurance contributions individuals have paid and what income they have insured themselves with, which is a prerequisite for more abuses. Later in the month, on the air of Channel 3, the economist commented specifically on the latest changes in the pension formula, and in front of the Bulgarian National Radio in Varna - he once again reminded of the need for reform in the practically bankrupt insurance system.
On TV EUROPE, Vuldjev analyzed the state of Bulgaria's economy, and in the Morning Block on BNT, he and Vladimir Karolev discussed the Eurozone and discussed the pros and cons of Bulgaria's possible accession.
On the air of "Plus-Minus. The Commentary After the News" on NovaTV, economist Stoyan Panchev got into an argument with Julian Angelov from VMRO against the proposal for the state to pay religious figures - he defined debt forgiveness as an immoral approach and expressed the opinion that money should not be forgiven if it concerns unpaid social security contributions.
In the morning block of BulgariaOnAir, Stoyan Panchev gave his opinion on the reasons for the fact that over half a million Bulgarians refuse to pay their health contributions.
According to him, the non-payment of health insurance premiums is largely due to the reluctance of Bulgarian citizens, who are used to accessing a given service without having to pay.
"Have you ever heard of anyone actually being denied access to treatment? Especially in the Emergency Room. Besides, the job of doctors is not to collect money, but to treat. And imagine if someone were denied medical care, what a scandal would erupt in the media space," Stoyan Panchev added.
In the Q&A with Klara Marinova program, the chairman of the EKIP, together with political scientist Georgi Kiryakov, discussed questions such as: What main factors negatively affect the Bulgarian economy? Who, when and how will start to really solve our serious economic problems?
Health economist Arkady Sharkov commented on the nurses' protests, again on BulgariaOnAir. He pointed out that there is a shortage of staff in this field because salaries are at the minimum threshold - "Salaries should not be determined centrally. Isn't there a certain amount of protectionism in the nursing profession? But who would want to work so hard to receive a low salary," Sharkov said.
On BNR, he commented on the new requirements of the NRA - a cash register to connect to the medical software and issue a note for each activity in healthcare. Linking the NRA system to the medical software will allow the authorities to have access to everyone's health information. He emphasized the importance of creating positive incentives for doctors to issue cost-covering documents, and not through violent administrative actions.
The Economist magazine published Sharkov's position on the topic "Why are "frozen prices" a harmful economic measure and what do they lead to?"
At the end of the month, Dimitar Karagegov from Liberty 420 participated in the third episode of the radio encyclopedia "Following the Smoke" on the Bulgarian National Radio.
