Britons living in Bulgaria. Guide to Bulgaria, Sofia and Varna

expatriate healthcare in bulgaria


Any Britons who wish to receive free treatment have to provide their passport and also their medical card which is available from the department of health in the UK before they can be treated. For a basic consultation expect to pay around GBP 15 which can rise to around GBP 50 for a consultation with a private specialist. However, if an expat is unfortunate enough to require a hospital stay they will find that few of the nursing staff will have foreign language skills and that nursing care where it is available is limited. In Bulgaria expatriates who fall ill will need their friends or family to help out or else they should see about being repatriated to the UK or wherever their home country is. In terms of expatriate healthcare in Bulgaria, those who can afford it generally prefer to go to the private clinics, doctors and hospitals that are available in the main towns and cities. In terms of the availability of hospitals, clinics and medical services in Bulgaria all major towns and cities have at least one hospital and most doctors in state and private hospitals have at least a rudimentary understanding of English. There are no hazardous health issues that expatriates living in Bulgaria need to be aware of but those who are moving or travelling to Bulgaria are advised to get an up to date tetanus injection and consider Hep A and Typhoid as well. This means that in an emergency one doesn’t have to panic and try and find a translator!