Bulgaria Ski discussion board

When we were in Pamps my other half had some emergency treatment for a knee injury. The treatment was very good and sorted him out really fast. However, we were charged quite a large amount for this, and although we've been able to claim it back from our insurance (apart from our excess) I'm confused as to why our E111 cards made no difference. Usually these cards allow you to at least receive reduced costs - and sometimes free treatment. I thought once Bulgaria entered Europe they became party to the reciprocal agreement about health care that exists between EU members.

I was told that if you need hospital treatment your EHIC (E111) card is valid. However in private clinics they are not accepted and you have to pay. We found this same thing at the medical centre at Stoudenets in January.

Maybe the cards will be accepted later on as is usual in Austria and France. In Austria I never paid a penny when a daughter injured a knee. In France I was given a shopping list to take to the pharmacy, which I had to pay for, and was replacement items for those the doctor had used on another daughter - bandages, syringes, drugs, etc. As I recall it was 110 euros worth, the cost of which I then claimed back on my insurance (less the excess). I was never charged for his time and service.

Anyway, I hope your other half is recovering well, and glad to hear the treatment received was good. My son's arm was well-set there, and someone else posted here reporting that his son's broken leg was treated correctly.
I think so long as the doctors in Bulgaria are doing a good job - and let's face it pretty much all they do is treat ski/snowboard injuries during the season so they get plenty of practice! - the insurance excess is a small price to pay.
Much worse to get poor treatment for free and then have to get bones reset on the return home!

Thanks for all your comments - yes hubby recovered well. What made me wonder about the cost was that we used to go every year to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast when our children were young (1990s) and used their medical services on a number of occasions (first class treatment - loads better than in this country). Despite the fact that they were not in the EU then, they accepted our E111 at the medical centres and we were never charged. The only thing we had to pay for was the prescribed medicines from the pharmacies. The cost of these was very small - a few pence only.