Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

March marking the World Day of Rare Diseases takes place in Sofia

Photo: EPA/BGNES

Relatives of patients suffering from rare diseases organized a march in Sofia on the occasion of the World Day of Rare Diseases. They call on the state to develop a National Plan for people with rare diseases.

The march was attended by relatives and patients with rare diseases, as well as those who make daily efforts and care to make the daily lives of these patients full and dignified.

In Bulgaria, nearly 370,000 people live with rare diseases.

Natalia Maeva, chairwoman of the Bulgarian Society of Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension, said: "Healthcare in Bulgaria has been neglecting the problems of people with rare diseases for many years. This is simply our march for hope and we hope that the institutions will open their eyes this time, because it is not normal for a member state of the European Union to continue to have no National Plan for Rare Diseases, and unfortunately, our children and our relatives are forced to seek treatment abroad if it turns out that they suffer from some rare disease."

World Rare Disease Day has been celebrated since 2008 at the initiative of the European Association for Rare Diseases and the Canadian Association for Rare Diseases. Its main goal is to encourage the creation of effective policies for prevention, early diagnosis and equal access to high-quality health and social services. 




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Commission to assess revisions to Bulgaria's Recovery and Resilience Plan 

The European Commission has announced that it has received a request from Bulgaria to revise its national recovery and resilience plan. The Commission will examine the request, submitted by the country on 16 April, and forward it to the EU Council for..

published on 4/22/25 6:15 PM
Borislav Gutsanov

Public sector salaries cannot be increased by more than 5%, says Social Affairs Minister

The state cannot afford to increase public sector salaries by 10% this year, as demanded by trade unions. This was stated by Social Affairs Minister Borislav Gutsanov. The minister pointed out that taxes had not been changed, while pensions had been..

published on 4/22/25 6:00 PM

Bulgaria and East Timor discuss cooperation in education, agriculture and IT

The President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, is on a working visit to Bulgaria. This is the first bilateral visit since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and East Timor in 2003...

published on 4/22/25 4:35 PM