Useful Medical Information

One thing which surprised me when I first had dealings with the BG health system is the existence of vampires

What I mean by that is that regardless of whether you're in a public hospital or a private one, and regardless of whether you have medical insurance or are in the public system by virtue of having an S1 from the UK, if you have - or are likely to need - a blood transfusion, you're required to "reimburse" the National Transfusion Service for the blood or serum that's been pumped into you.  That doesn't mean anything so simple as paying for X units, you have to rustle up enough mates or family members to donate that amount of blood; they don't have to be type matches, it's the volume that counts.  Not everyone can donate blood, there are criteria covering age (18-65), health, weight, and how recently the person last donated blood (5 times a year and no more than once every two months).  If you're unable to rustle up enough donors, that's where the "vampires" come in: hanging around the Haematology department (or outside the hospital entrance if the department isn't in a separate building/entrance) you'll usually find a number of Roma who are either looking to "donate" blood themselves, or who are organisers taking a cut for supplying donors.  Failing that, you'll see paper signs or spray-painted adverts (in Bulgarian, of course) on the nearby railings/wall, with a number to call for the "service".  There is also an app for Android and IoS called "Дари Кръв" where you MIGHT be able to find someone to donate, but often there's not a lot of time to arrange things.  You need a receipt for each donation, which must state the patient's name, the hospital, and the ward/department where the treatment is being carried out.

I don't know what the "vampire charge" is elsewhere, but here in Sofia it's currently 250leva per unit - and a person can't donate more than one unit at a time.  Best not to get ill if you can avoid it!