To: Minister of Health
Cc: Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission of Health
Date: 28 March 2005
From: Reneta T. Stoyanova
[address]
DEAR MR MINISTER AND MR CHAIRMAN OF PCH,
Herewith I thank you very much for a letter to me signed personally by Vice Minister Mr. P. Salchev which reads: „testing [of hemodialysis patients for hepatitis from now on] will not have a sporadic character and therefore the incidence of the disease will be controlled”. I accept this as a step forward towards improvement of the Bulgarian system of health care and as a recognition that the alert letter I submitted about two years ago was timely and needed. Indeed, two hasty checks were made at the time and they claimed just the opposite. However, time clearly shows who is right and who is wrong.
I should like to inform you herewith that I have still not received answer to the questions I asked in a letter to you dated 9 July 2003. Those questions cast certain doubts about the validity not only of this but of nearly all conclusions made by the two checks. I am convinced that time will prove again I was right and yet I would appreciate if you too make some effort to find out the truth. Regretfully, my attempts to remind you that I still await your answer have not met your understanding so far. I do hope that the situation will change – to the benefit of the Bulgarian system of health care.
Last but not least, about half a year ago I asked you three more questions which I am going to ask herein again because I have not received any concrete answer to them either. Here are the questions:
1. From where can I learn what the number (percentage) is of patients infected with the virus of hepatitis B and C in the HD units in Bulgaria?
2. From where can I receive information about specific epidemiological standards concerning hepatitis infection in HD units, such as the minimal admissible percentage of patients infected with the virus of hepatitis B and C in the HD units, for in the Standard for Hemodialysis Treatment published in State Gazette in March 2004 there are none?
3. I would also like to get acquainted with a Bulgarian regulation, if any, for limiting the spread of hepatitis C in HD units similar to the one published in Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation Magazine online at the address: