On 1 June, during the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly (WHA77), delegates from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and from WHO/Europe met to commemorate the signing of the biennial collaborative agreement (BCA) between WHO and Bulgaria for 2024–2025.
The BCA was signed in Sofia the preceding week by Dr Galia Kondeva, Minister of Health of Bulgaria, and countersigned by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. Professor Plamen Dimitrov, Director of the National Center of Public Health and Analysis, and Ms Katya Ivkova, Director of the European Coordination and International Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Health, joined Dr Kluge during this in-person, commemorative event.
The BCA provides a mutually agreed framework for collaboration between Bulgaria and WHO at the country level, guided by WHO’s mandate to work towards health for all. It was developed through a consultative process whereby WHO and Bulgaria agreed on the main priorities for collaboration, including main outcomes, outputs, services and deliverables.
Covering 2024–2025, the BCA includes priority issues and areas of focus including the health workforce, mental health, preparedness for health emergencies and reduction of risk factors of noncommunicable diseases. It includes expansion of outpatient care and primary care, with a focus on the full spectrum of health services – from immunizations and maternal and newborn care, to rehabilitation and long-term care.
The agreed activities align with the national health policies of Bulgaria as stated in the country’s Health Strategy 2030, with the WHO General Programme of Work (whose 14th iteration was endorsed at WHA77) and the WHO European Programme of Work 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”.