Experts warn that funding challenges and a severe shortage of medical staff could undermine the project even if construction eventually goes ahead
Bulgarian health authorities are facing mounting difficulties launching a long-awaited project to build a national children’s hospital, which has ranked as one of the country’s top healthcare priorities since 2018. The competition regulator has annulled the tender to appoint a design team for a planned national children’s hospital in Sofia, dealing a fresh setback to what was expected to be the country’s largest state healthcare investment in decades.
The Commission for Protection of Competition, which had previously suspended the procurement procedure, terminated the process, citing overly restrictive requirements for bidders and significant shortcomings in the technical documentation.
The project has made little tangible progress despite initial plans envisaging the hospital opening as early as 2028, and had already drawn criticism from experts who argued the procurement prioritised cost over quality. Construction of the facility, designed to address long-standing structural weaknesses in Bulgaria’s paediatric healthcare system, is estimated to cost up to €500mn.
