Authorities and conflicts of interest in healthcare

The new Minister of Health Stoycho Katsarov revealed shocking schemes with organ trafficking in the Government Hospital. He also confirmed the scams for her drain, revealed by investigative journalists. At the same time, his personnel decisions are not indisputable. In the board of Alexandrovska Hospital he appointed a person who has established a conflict of interest by KPKONPI.

The government hospital Lozenets acted as a hub for criminal trafficking of organs from living donors. Wealthy Israelis, Germans and Japanese received kidneys from alleged relatives – young boys from Ukraine and Moldova. A check of the documents revealed that false identities had been used. All this has been reported to the services, but they have turned a blind eye.

Ibid., liver was transplanted from a cadaveric donor to a senior civil servant. He was on the transplant waiting list after a phone call from above. The highest patient had only 14 points compared to 54 of the first of those in need on the list of the Transplantation Agency, which had to be transplanted into the MMA.

The protégé of Borisov’s government was not even included in the first selection of three people after the donation situation arose. But after the call, he was listed as a fourth name and predestined everyone to be transplanted into Government.

All this was revealed by the new Minister of Health Stoycho Katsarov last week. But before the Minister released these shocking data, the BRRD published the information that the great man was Veselin Dakov – Secretary General of the Council of Ministers in the government of Boyko Borisov. So far, there has been no official confirmation of this information due to medical confidentiality.

Lozenets Hospital issued an opinion that does not explain how the liver turned out to be in their patient, and not in the MMA transplant team for the patient with the most points.

BRRD sent questions under the Access to Public Information Act (APIA) to the Health Ministry to clarify the chronology and possible violations in the selection of Dakov for transplantation. We asked the following:

– on what date was the specific donation situation established?
– in which region of Bulgaria has the specific donation situation arisen?
– Who and whom called to make the announcement of the senior civil servant happen?
– When exactly did this call happen?
– Who made the decision to pre-order the senior government official?
– Was the government aircraft used to deliver the cadaveric donor or the organ itself to Lozenets Hospital?
What date was the transplant performed?
– Has the predicted patient waiting for an organ that was first on the list with 54 points but dropped out after the call has been transplanted to date?

Shoots in Alexandrovska

The new director of Alexandrovska Hospital Dr. Atanas Atanasov was appointed a few months earlier by Jenny Nacheva as procurator of the bankrupt Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment “Professor Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov” AD – Sofia. Lovech. He obviously failed to pull her out of the predicament, but now he is tasked with Alexandrovska’s problems.

Simultaneously with Atanasov, the Minister appointed as new members of the Board of Directors at Alexandrovska Hospital and Gergana Andreeva – Sotirova. The latter was mentioned as a potential Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, but probably due to the fact that he is not a civil servant, he missed the appointment.

To date, in addition to being a member of the Board of Directors at Alexandrovska Hospital, Gergana Andreeva – Sotirova has also been appointed Director of the Human Resources Directorate, probably on a 6-hour working day, if the law is complied with. A small but significant detail is that it has a finding of conflict of interest on the part of the Commission for Counteracting Corruption and Forfeiture of Illegally Acquired Assets (KPKONPI).

Contacted by phone, Gergana Andreeva refused to comment on these facts.

Gergana Andreeva – Sotirova started her career in 2015 when she was appointed, informed without a competition, part-time as Secretary General of the NHIF by the then Manager of the NHIF – Dr. Glinka Komitov.

She held this position without a competition and part-time until 2017. Then she was released from this post and her contract was terminated for compensation of 6 salaries. She was appointed to the same appointing body, only to the WHOC. From the minutes in case 6676 on the inventory for 2020 of the Sofia City Administrative Court, it becomes clear that by Order No 12/20.12.2017 the Governor of the NHIF Glinka Komitov assigned to Gergana Andreeva – Sotirova Deputy Director of WHOC Sofia – City the functions of Director of the Unit as of 20.12.2017. 07.2018 for a period of 4 years.

Set Your Husband’s Salary

However, in a revision of KPKONPI it was found[1] that Boyan Sotirov Sotirov, who is the husband of Gergana Andreeva – Sotirova works in the unit of the NHIF headed by her. KPKONPI accuses Sotirova of conflict of interest in connection with activities related to human resources management, and more precisely for determining the remuneration of her husband, who works as her subordinate – “chief specialist” in the “Specialized Administration, Department of Dental Care”. He was given a monthly salary of 950 leva. From his job description it becomes clear that the direct duties of Boyan Sotirov are to comply with the orders of the Director of the WHOC and the Deputy Director of the WHOC or in other words, his wife and her deputies.

As can be seen from the evaluation forms for Sotirov’s performance in 2017 and 2018 submitted to the court, he received an “Outstanding Performance” rating. And how could it be different, he’s still the boss’s husband! Sotirova declares that the persons who have carried out the assessment of her husband are all her subordinates.

The Commission accepts that, as Director of the WHOC, Gergana Andreeva exercised powers of office in relation to her husband and issued him a production characteristic. According to KPKONPI, as a result of these actions, an intangible benefit was realized, consisting of help and support for her husband, as a result of which he received an increase in the basic monthly salary. The Commission imposed a fine of BGN 5,000 twice. to Andreeva – Sotirova for a conflict of interest and takes from her in favor of the state an amount of BGN 236.34. She complained in court, but at first instance Judge Galin Nestorov, who otherwise does not enjoy a particularly good reputation, rejected Gergana Andreeva’s appeal. She complained to a higher instance and is currently waiting for a ruling on the Sixth Section of the Supreme Administrative Court after a hearing on May 12. In

Thus, despite the existence of a confirmed act of conflict of interest at first instance, Gergana Andreeva was appointed to manage human resources as a director directorate at the Ministry of Health and was on the Board of Directors of Alexandrovska Hospital.

[1] https://register.caciaf.bg/2018/C49B3167-F6F7-49A9-AD1A-76059AA2FDF491511.xml

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За да научавате преди всички за нови разследвания, инсталирайте си нашето мобилно приложение:

Щом сте стигнали дотук, вероятно вече си задавате въпроса как се финансира този журналистически проект.

От създаването си BIRD се финансираше от подаяния в нашето журналистическо чекмедже.
Но на чекмеджето му мина времето. Даже прокуратурата затвори онова Чекмедже, знаете кое…
Нашето финансиране влиза в крак с епохата. Фондонабиращата ни кампания вече се казва

#МятайСБЪРД

Дарявай за BIRD и мятай павета в блатото с корумпирани политици и други тарикати.
Те тайно премятат пари от твоя джоб в своя. Те размятат безнаказано лукса си пред очите на всички. Няма кой да ги накаже ако се надяваш на държавата.
Мятай, за да ги накажеш ти. Да дариш за разследващите журналисти е гаранция, че гадостите, с които силните на деня те замерят, ще им се върнат.
Можеш да метнеш веднъж, за да ти олекне!
Но по-добре е да мяташ редовно всеки месец и да се чувстваш трайно удовлетворен.
А най-добре е да доведеш приятели и да мятаме редовно заедно в екип. С мощен залп!
*За кръстник на новата ни фондонабираща кампания избрахме другарката Ваня. Благодарим й за вдъхновението!