Successful partnerships in healthcare require government support by creating conditions that foster the relationships. The paper’s aim is to analyze and evaluate the national policy for hospital sector partnership in Bulgaria. The study was conducted in two stages. First, a review of the political goals and priorities of various governments in the field of healthcare for the period 2001 - 2018 has been carried out on the basis of state documents, studies and political reports. Second, a survey on hospital managers' opinion for the state policy in hospital sector partnership has been conducted. The results show that there is a conviction among healthcare authorities in Bulgaria about the need of new organizational forms in the hospital sector in the context of the existing problems in it, but there is no consistent policy to implement them. The hospital managers should be involved in the process of partnership formation.
Council of Ministers (2013) Annual Report on the State of Health of Citizens and the Implementation of the National Health Strategy in 2012. Available from: https://www.strategy.bg/FileHandler.ashx?fileId=4327 (in Bulgarian).
Council of Ministers (2017) Annual Report on the State of Health of Citizens and the Implementation of the National Health Strategy 2020 in 2016. Available from: https://www.strategy.bg/FileHandler.ashx?fileId=17044 (in Bulgarian).
Health Care Establishments Act. State Gazette No. 62, 9 July 1999; last amended 28 May 2019 (in Bulgarian).
Longest, B. (1990) Inter-Organizational Linkages in the Health Care Sector. Health Care Management Review. 15 (1). pp. 17-28.
Luke, R. and Olden, P. (1995) Foundations of Market Restructuring: Local hospital, Clusters and HMO Infiltration. Medical Interface. 8 (9). pp. 71-75.
Ministry of Health (2001) National Health Strategy “Better Health for Better Future for Bulgaria”. Sofia. (in Bulgarian).
Ministry of Health (2008) National Health Strategy 2008 – 2013. Available from: https://www.strategy.bg/FileHandler.ashx?fileId=711 (in Bulgarian).
Ministry of Health (2009) Concept of Restructuring of Hospital Medical Care in Bulgaria. Sofia. Available from: https://www.strategy.bg/FileHandler.ashx?fileId=1027 (in Bulgarian).
Ministry of Health (2012) Draft Health Policy Strategic Framework for Improving the Health of the Nation 2014-2020. Sofia. (in Bulgarian).
Ministry of Health (2013) National Health Strategy 2014 – 2020. Sofia. (in Bulgarian).
Mitev, B. (2016) Essential Characteristics of Strategic Alliances. Izvestia Journal of the Union of Scientists - Varna, Economic Science Series. 1. pp. 109-115.
Murphy, T. M. and Harding, C. (1994) Hospital–Physician Integration: Strategies for Success. AHA Publ.
Mutafova, E., Atanasova, E., Dimitrova, L., Sherbetova, E., Feodorova, E., Racheva, M. (2005) Healthcare Management. Planning and Financing in the Hospitals. Sofia. (in Bulgarian).
World Bank (2013) Healthcare Reforms Policy Notes. Bulgaria, 2012. Washington. (in Bulgarian).