Health and Medical Tourism in Bulgaria

The well developed network of cosmetic surgery and dental clinics provide services at prices several times lower than the lowest in the European Union, and this fact has attracted the interest of the big insurance companies that pay their customers' medical expenses. They're more willing than before to cover excursions to the east, where therapy is many times cheaper.

Plastic surgery not covered by medical insurance also brings clients with costs which are up to five times lower. The fantastic value of medical therapy is topped up with high quality service: overseas patients in Bulgaria have a broad selection of physicians and clinics because from the mid-1990s a lot of the top physicians in the nation, disappointed with their low condition salaries, setup private surgeries and clinics.

Cosmetic water therapy

Mineral water therapy is especially popular among foreign tourists, because Bulgaria Boasts over a million mineral springs scattered around the nation. The water content in lots of them is very similar to those in world-renowned spas such as Baden-Baden and Vichy.

Some present-day Bulgarian spas were built on the sites of ancient Roman thermae or Turkish baths. The best-known balneology and mud bath treatment centers are Pavel Banya, Hisar, Velingrad, Narechen, Vurshets, Kyustendil and Momin Prohod, near Kostenets. They specialise in the treatment of different disorders, based on their content.

Hisar, situated among the remarkable ruins of an ancient Roman fortress in the plain between the Balkan Mountains and Plovdiv, is advised for renal and gastrointestinal disorders. Sapareva Banya sprang up round the latest water spring in Bulgaria. Narechen specialises in neurological disorders, Pavel Banya in orthopaedic illnesses and traumas, and Sandanski in pulmonary diseases. Two large beachfront hotels, Albena and Pomorie, offer mud bath therapy.

The majority of these centres also provide special rehabilitation and toning programmes. The costs vary, depending upon the treatment. By way of instance, a 10-day anti-stress programme, such as aromatherapy, massage, and Iye-phoresis, prices significantly less than 100 Euros; a flve-day treatment of rheumatic pain is from 70 to 110 Euros. Accommodation is between 20 and 70 Euros per day, full board.

Slimming centers

Other popular destinations are the slimming centres. The most popular clinic for non-medicinal treatment of obesity is situated in the Black Sea resort of Sts. Constantine and Helena. There, a moderate form of health starvation is practised under continuous medical supervision, in conjunction with a daily allowance of one kilogramme of raw fruit, and healthy eating habits.

The stay in the sanatorium may vary from 10 to 20 days, and the bundle is between 500 and 2,000 Euros, depending on the amount of the treatment. It includes lodging in a four-star resort, daily doctor's specifications, private consultation with the center's head doctor, the evolution of a person dieting and nutrition schedule for each individual upon departing, and medical assessments.

Cosmetic surgery

Plastic surgery also brings health tourists with its services and prices. The cosmetic and plastic surgery clinics which opened at the mid-1990s turned out to be too many, and the acute competition forced their owners to invest in modern equipment, superior specialists, and a range of amenities for in-house patients. In any case, they needed to keep their costs low.

Whereas in Germany a woman will cover from 6,000 to 10,000 Euros for a bosom boost, the most expensive clinics in Bulgaria perform the operation for 2,500 to 3,000 Euros. The ratio between other services is comparable.

Face-lifting under full anaesthesia is barely over 1,200 Euros, complete eyebrow correction isn't greater than 450 Euros, and anesthesia prices 300 Euros.

Dental services

Another popular objective of health tourism in Bulgaria is dental providers. The personal dental surgeries in the larger towns are numerous, and the costs, calculated in compliance with the Bulgarian standard of living, are incredibiy low, in comparison to costs in western Europe. Some operations have dual pricing for Bulgarians and foreigners; therefore, check beforehand.

The costs in Sofia, Burgas, Varna and Plovdiv are relatively the same: from 10 to 15 Euros for a first examination, from 15 to 20 Euros for cleanup of caries and a photograph plastic filling, and from 20 to 30 Euros for the treatment of pulpitis.

What does the law in Bulgaria say?

Bulgarian legislation grants foreign citizens the right to treatment in most healthcare establishments in the nation. In case of emergency, foreigners can get help from the closest clinic.

The mind of the respective medical institution has to notify the patient's insurance coverage immediately about the essential treatment, except for emergencies.

Short-term foreign visitors to Bulgaria who don't insure themselves based on internal regulations need to cover their medical treatment based on the price list of their respective medical institution.

The clinic or other medical institution must notify the patient of the applicable costs before the commencement of treatment.