In 2023, the territorial expert medical commissions (TELCs) issued more than 20% more decisions on reduced working capacity compared to the previous year. However, more and more commissions pronounce with delay, and in some it reaches more than 2 years.
In 2023, a total of 263,343 expert decisions were issued by the territorial expert medical commissions (TELK), or 21% more compared to the previous year. Of these, 28,265 are for temporary incapacity and 235,078 are for permanently reduced working capacity.
The increase in decisions for permanently reduced working capacity is 22% compared to 2022. This is clear from the answer of the Minister of Health Prof. Hristo Hinkov to the MP Iliana Zhekova (GERB).
As of January 2024, 75 TELKs are operating in the country.
According to data from the fourth quarter of last year, half of them are pronounced on time, and the other half have delays.
The degree of their delay is different:
With a delay of about a month is 9 commissions;
With delay between 1 and 3 months is 13 TELK;
With a delay of 4 to 6 months is 10 TELK;
With delay between 6 and 12 months is one commission
With delay over 1 year are 4 TELK in Shumen, Kardzhali and 2 commissions in Vidin. The biggest delay reaches 2 years and 3 months.
The Ministry of Health reports that in 2023 there is a worsening of the picture in terms of pronouncing on time compared to 2022, because 11 TELCs, which are now registering a delay, used to fit within the statutory deadlines. In addition, for committees where there was a delay in 2022, it increases in 2023.
Among the reasons for this are the larger number of applications during the year resulting from changes in the Ordinance on medical expertise related to re-certification.
Although in 2023 they were discovered 5 new TELCs in the regions of Blagoevgrad, Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv and Rusethe number of commissions in the country is still not sufficient to process the large number of applications on time.
On February 7 this year, the government adopted changes that are expected to shorten the period for issuing TELK.
The changes envisage a more even distribution of certification procedures in the country for examination by TELC on a random basis, thus achieving transparency, impartiality and speed.
An obligation is introduced to pronounce TELCs only on the basis of the medical documentation, including the information available from the health records in the patients’ electronic health records.
