Editing Bulgaria (section)

=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in Bulgaria}}
High death rates result from a combination of an ageing population, high numbers of people at risk of poverty, and a weak [[Health system|healthcare system]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/51f1bd86-d6cc-11e7-ae3e-563c04c5339a |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211/https://www.ft.com/content/51f1bd86-d6cc-11e7-ae3e-563c04c5339a |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Bulgaria battles to stop its brain drain |newspaper=The Financial Times |first=Kerin |last=Hope |date=11 January 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018 |quote=But a sharp decline in the quality of state healthcare and high poverty rates—42% of the population are at risk of poverty in old age, according to Eurostat—gives Bulgaria the second-lowest life expectancy in the EU after Lithuania.}}</ref> Over 80% of deaths are due to [[cancer]] and [[cardiovascular conditions]]; nearly a fifth of those are avoidable.<ref>Country Health Profile, p. 1</ref> Although [[healthcare in Bulgaria]] is nominally universal,<ref name="Health system">{{cite journal |last1=Georgieva |first1=Lidia |last2=Salchev |first2=Petko |title=Bulgaria Health system review |journal=Health Systems in Transition |date=2007 |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=xvi, 12 |url=http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/80592/E90023.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/80592/E90023.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |issn=1817-6127}}</ref> [[out-of-pocket expenses]] account for nearly half of all healthcare spending, significantly limiting access to medical care.<ref>Country Health Profile, p. 7</ref> Other problems disrupting care provision are the emigration of doctors due to low wages, understaffed and under-equipped regional hospitals, supply shortages and frequent changes to the basic service package for those insured.<ref>Country Health Profile, pp. 8, 11, 12.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=146868 |title=The Bulgaria 2012 Review: Health and Healthcare |publisher=[[Novinite]] |first=Maria |last=Guineva |date=7 January 2013 |access-date=21 February 2013 |archive-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117033058/http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=146868 |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2018 Bloomberg Health Care Efficiency Index ranked Bulgaria last out of 56 countries.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-19/u-s-near-bottom-of-health-index-hong-kong-and-singapore-at-top |title=These Are the Economies With the Most (and Least) Efficient Health Care |publisher=Bloomberg |first=Lee J |last=Miller |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=19 September 2018 |access-date=21 September 2018 |archive-date=24 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424201747/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-19/u-s-near-bottom-of-health-index-hong-kong-and-singapore-at-top |url-status=live }}</ref> Average [[life expectancy]] is 74.8 years, compared with an EU average of 80.99 and a world average of 72.38.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/355rank.html#BU |title=Country Comparison: Life Expectancy |website=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=15 December 2019 |archive-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201031608/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/355rank.html#BU |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?locations=EU-1W&name_desc=true&year_high_desc=false |title=Life expectancy at birth, total (years) |publisher=The World Bank |date=2019 |access-date=15 December 2019 |archive-date=15 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215221420/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN%3Flocations%3DEU-1W%26name_desc%3Dtrue%26year_high_desc%3Dfalse |url-status=live }}</ref>