Health Insurance Fund offers referral for PCR test in presence of at least five symptoms – Bulgaria

© Tsvetelina Belutova

The health insurance fund offers GPs to issue a referral for a CRP test if the patient has at least five symptoms. This is written in a draft amendment to the National Framework Agreement 2020-2022, sent to the Bulgarian Medical Union, reports BNR.

The project also stipulates that the GP can send an electronic reference to the National Health Information System, and a unique reference code will be generated from the system. Once the GP provides the unique code to the patient, the patient must present it to a laboratory that has a contract with the Health Insurance Fund and performs PCR tests.

The at least five required symptoms should include new fever, new (mostly dry) cough, new severe fatigue, new loss of taste and / or smell, new breathing or shortness of breath, myalgia, oxygen saturation. less than 92% (or less than 88% for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) when pulse oximetry is performed, if possible.