Study on Children’s Health Program and Maternity Health Program, Bulgaria

Introduction The survey was conducted to establish the level access to the Children’s Health Program and the Maternal Health Program of the National Health Insurance Fund by marginalized groups. The survey was conducted in the period September-December, 2018 and covered 315 women from Nadezhda neighbourhood (Roma community),Sliven.The methodology used is social accountability and legal empowerment. Methods The survey was conducted through a face-to-face survey. A questionnaire was used with closed and open questions. Consultation with those people was anonymous. We used a “cold contact’ and a “snowball’ method. Results Almost all respondents - 97.7% - have a GP.All (who have the contact of their GP) can easily contact their doctor, although only 7 (2.3%) have the phone number of their GPs. Almost 90% pay part of the cost of treatment, few are cases of full payment or no payment.Quite low - 40.9% - are the rates of visits to the GP in the first month after birth and the appointed (mandatory and due) examinations. Only 45% were examined in the first month after birth by the testimonies of the respondents. It is imperative to take steps to raise the percentage of mothers who visit doctor’s office and receive an examinations.74.2% say they adhere to the children’s food-hygiene regime. The remaining 20.95% point out the lack of funds and the poor living conditions in the neighborhood (noise, stopping water, etc.) as reasons for not adhering to the regime. While only about 20% claim to have faced discriminatory treatment (just over 30% say they have not experienced it, and nearly half do not respond), there are indicative responses to discriminatory treatment - division in the maternity ward, offensive speech, etc. Conclusions The study achieves its goals - to provide an adequate picture of maternal access to prenatal and pediatric medical care, as well as the difficulties to ensure maximum care for children. Key messages Roma children are not treated equally under the Children’s Health. Roma mothers do not have equal access to the Maternity Health Program.