Month: March 2025

The first groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Heart and Brain Center of Clinical Excellence was held today in Kardzhali. The symbolic start of the construction was given by Mayor of Kardzhali Erol Mumün and Prof. Toni Vekov, chairman of the board of directors.

The hospital is not only expected to provide better medical services for the region, but also to attract highly qualified specialists and stimulate the development of the health sector in the Eastern region of Bulgaria.

The hospital is expected to be operational by the end of 2027 and will encompass one hospital facility, a separate building for a diagnostic-consulting centre and a separate building for a pharmacy. So it really is one big hospital complex. This investment is about BGN 100 million, or at least BGN 100 million, BGN 60 million for the construction of the facilities and BGN 40 million for the purchase of equipment. It is also very important to say that the hospital will be of the third, highest level, that is to say, it will allow truly state-of-the-art treatment.

The hospital will not rely on local specialists, but on those who are already trained and being trained – from Burgas, from Pleven.

A team of surgeons at ‘Heart and Brain’ have removed a huge inflammatory growth from high up in the back of a 50-year-old woman from Knezha. The growth weighed three kilograms and was 30 cm long, with multiple inflamed ulcers and sores, extremely painful for the woman.

The patient had neglected the growing ‘hump’ for years and only sought medical attention when the growth began to become inflamed, painful and the surface of the growth developed sores, blisters and ulcers which bled. She chose ‘Heart and Brain’ Pleven because of the leading specialists and the multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment.

Due to the size, inflammation and multiple blood vessels, the surgery lasted nearly three hours. The surgeons successfully removed the growth, but recommended the woman undergo a detailed clinical examination of the entire body due to the possibility of other similar formations.

“This is the first time in our practice that we have encountered such a formation, both in size and inflammatory process. Fortunately, the histological examination proved that it is benign and the woman will be able to continue her life without any problems – with self-confidence, without pain and heaviness,” informed Dr. Dimitar Georgiev, the lead surgeon and head of the team that performed the surgery.

Radoslav was brought by helicopter from Montana

Doctors from the paediatrics clinic in ”Mama and I” saved the life of five-month-old Radoslav from Vidin. Thanks to the quick and adequate response of the team on duty – Dr. Ignat Gramatikov, Dr. Bilyana Metodieva, nurse Tsvetelina Todorova and excellent coordination with the medical helicopter team, the Ministry of Interior Pleven and the doctors from the Montana Hospital, only half an hour after the helicopter took off the child was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital complex and saved.

“The Montana hospital approached us because Radoslav was in severe respiratory failure, hypoxia, carbon retention and needed intensive care. Colleagues from Montana organized the transport with the medical helicopter, we quickly formed a team and thanks to the special neonatology ambulance of ‘Mom and Me’, equipped with a transport couch, we managed in the most flawless way to save the baby’s life”, informed Dr. Velimir Simov, head of the pediatric ward.

Radoslav is now feeling well, his mother is by his side and his treatment continues.

“I am extremely grateful to the doctors from ‘ Mama and I’ for saving my baby. I am grateful for the quick joint efforts of the paediatric clinic teams and the medical helicopter. Without them he would not have been able to survive,” Radoslav’s mother said through tears.

On the same day, another child from Vidin was admitted to the intensive care unit of the clinic. He was admitted with bilateral bronchopneumonia and breathing difficulties. The parents, who heard about the transport of a child at risk by helicopter, decided to seek help from the paediatricians of ‘Mama and I’.

“I only trust Dr. Simov, so we took the risky trip to the hospital and lo and behold, Christo, who is one year and 7 months old, was saved. Our choice was right,” said the mother Rositsa.

Currently, more than 25 children are being treated at the clinic

Early this morning, Baba (“Grandma”) Marta and her assistant Martenichka arrived at ‘Mama and I’ and surprised the little patients of the pediatric clinic and the team on duty. They tied a martenitsa for health on each child’s hand, wishing them to be white and red, blushing and laughing.

One of the youngest patients, Preslav, four months old, happily accepted to be hugged by a smiling grandmother. Gabriela, who cried frightened at first, later came to Grandma Martha herself, pulled up her apron and said, “Now we can hug each other so I can get better faster.” Bogdan, Kaloyan and Denis, told of their exploits in kindergarten and school and said that although they were big pranksters, they wanted to get back there healthy quickly.

The eldest of all, who Grandma Marta burped for health, was 11-year-old Tsvetoslav. He shared where he broke his arm, but smiling said he was surprised to see Grandma Martha at the hospital.

Baba Marta and Martenichka tied martenitsa on the hands of the on-duty team in the clinic, wishing them to be healthy, smiling and enjoying more healed little patients.

Currently, more than 25 children are being treated at the clinic. Most are girls and boys under one year old, mainly with acute viral infections.