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Description
The COVID-19 crisis resulted in a number of countermeasures against the backdrop of changing circumstances. Policies in times of a pandemic, both containing the spread of the virus and mitigating the effects of the lockdown, often tend to have a short-term impact and there is still no long-term policy to overcome the crisis. The actions of the government tend to be more prescriptive rather than consolidated and what is missing is involvement of the civil sector and a broad dialogue with all the stakeholders. The National Patients’ Organization was among the first civil society organizations that got involved in the overcoming of the COVID crisis by launching a COVID Alliance and a hotline for counselling of people with chronic diseases. However, greater involvement of civil society organizations and the patients’ community is needed to fight COVID. Therefore, the project plans to involve patients’ organizations, which will examine the steps related to access to healthcare in the conditions of COVID-19 and make recommendations for more efficient policies from the point of view of patients. The measures to fight COVID-19 made it more difficult keeping in touch with the local structures of the National Patients’ Organization. The project will help invest in streamlining contacts as well as in the training and development of patients’ organizations in the country. People with chronic diseases and their civil structures are the main project users.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to improve patients’ involvement in the decision making process on health policies as regards Covid-19 and in monitoring the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on access to health care. To this end to studies were carried out – among patients and the general population. The patient survey reached 84 people with chronic diseases in seven Bulgarian districts and showed that this category of patients had significantly more difficulties with access to health care than the general population. Recommendations were discussed and supplemented at a public involving various stakeholders. The project was broadly covered by the media. Some of the recommendations that were discussed within the project are already implemented, such as the opening of separate "corridors" for Covid patients and improving pre-hospital care. On the other hand, the increased capacity of patient organizations through training and support for patients’ monitoring (provided within the project) is expected to contribute for the sustainability of such organizations.