This so much needed phone number could not start working effectively in our country, that's why Brussels warned us and soon more serious things would follow. Similarly we treat the problem with our children's' health. We have simply neglected it as we have allowed 33% of our kids to have chronic diseases. In fact it means that we are actually growing future generations of patients.

Can you imagine what it means for our economy, for the genetic resources of Bulgaria and our future at all? One of the four indicators of well - being according to the World Health Organization is particularly health of a person, along with his education, socialization and money. If any of them is missing one falls below in the social stratification. And in Bulgaria we condemn our children to this, just because of carelessness and ruining of all good practices from the recent past when in schools, kindergartens and creches, there was obligatory a doctor, a dentist or a nurse. Since many years there has not remained even the memory about such professionals in schools.

Statistics show that 33% of our children have chronic diseases.  In other words one third of our kids are ill.  The figure is quite shocking.  It is extremely worrisome that we underestimate health of our children.  This ascertainment is not claptrap, on the contrary - in schools there are no doctors, dentists, even nurses.  And those in kindergartens and creches leave because of a number of reasons, marked as key during the organised by the Bulgarian Association of professionals in health care (BAPZG) and the Federation of Trade Unions in healthcare to KNSB Roundtable on "Challenges to school and child health - necessary and possible solutions. Dr. Ivan Kokalov, vice president of KNSB, began that the problems of child health had gathered head and they had to be resolved urgently. And solutions should not be left to some future, but taken immediately. He outlined three main problems. The first is fair valuation of health care persons, or rather low such.  Low-payments opens a niche for leaving of professionals, some of whom emigrate abroad, while others shift to better paid sectors.

The second key issue of concern concerns is working conditions and the third is career growth of health care employees - there is just no such. These people were all their lives one and the same and receive very little money.  The lack of perspective is the reason for the exodus of nurses of nurses, laboratory assistants, midwives and medical auxiliary from profession.  The vice president of KNSB described as some relief the "Collective employment contract" from June 4, which guaranteed twice higher starting salary for medical staff compared to 2006, making it between 300 and 400 leva. Here Dr. Kokalov noted that starting levels are very low and that's why the money was not much. He recalled the good practices of the past, which were destroyed, namely children's care and the presence of medical practitioner in every school. And now because of their absence, no one monitors kids' immunization calendar, the condition of their teeth is very bad, and much more. Dr. Antonia Parvanova called during the forum for equal start in life of children on their health. It is essential to put a serious question of the presence of nurses in schools and children's creches and gardens, to emphasize on quality of care and promote healthy lifestyle among children. We should focus on prevention and prophylaxis, she added. And the problem is very serious because the percentage of children with diseases not typical of their age is very high.

I.e., earlier demonstrations of atypical health problems in children have come 10 years earlier, said Dr. Parvanova. All these findings have no sense if policy and care for our children do no begin to change right away summoned Professor Stanka Markova, president of BAPZG.

It is so, because all the problems in our country in a large part are limited in the circle of empty political speaking. And the step for the health of our next generations must be made to ensure better future because a sick nation means sick economy and a healthy one - sound economy.