Bulgaria and North Macedonia sign a health cooperation plan for 2026–2028

Bulgaria and North Macedonia signed a health cooperation plan for 2026–2028 in Sofia, Bulgaria's Health Ministry announced on October 19. Ministers Katya Ivkova and Sasho Klekovski signed the document.

The plan provides for joint initiatives and exchanges of medical expertise. It builds on the intergovernmental agreement signed on October 20, 2000.

During a subsequent visit to Maychin Dom hospital, discussions covered prenatal diagnosis, neonatal screening and rapid genomic diagnosis. Options considered included pilot projects, shared laboratory capacity and screening for additional treatable inherited conditions.

These are agreed areas of cooperation and options under discussion. The announcement does not launch a new screening programme for patients or give specific dates for access to such services.

Sources and photograph

Bulgarian Ministry of Health — October 19, 2026

Illustrative photograph: Etactics Inc / Unsplash. It does not depict the reported event or study. Cropped to 1200×675 px. Photographer · Unsplash licence.