UNHCR Bulgaria is organising a free Bulgarian language course for medical specialists from Ukraine. It aims to provide appropriate training to temporary protection holders to successfully pass the medical exam organised by the Ministry of Education and Science. Medical specialists from all fields are invited to apply.

The duration and format of the course activities (live or online) will be determined in an online meeting with the students, according to their abilities and preferences. The course will be organised so that participants take the exam in mid-October 2022. After successfully passing the exam, participants can progress to the second stage of language training, which will support them in taking additional exams in their respective medical specialties.

UNHCR Bulgaria and its partners will assist all participants in finding a suitable job after passing the exam.

The local community will also benefit from this programme, as Bulgaria has been experiencing a shortage of medical specialists for years. A recent study by “Index of Hospitals” published in March 2022 highlighted that 73% of all Bulgarian hospitals face a shortage of doctors, while approximately 90% face a shortage of nurses. In 96% of all cases, this leads to negative trends such as burn-out, challenges in securing hospitals' 24-hour working capacity and poor patient service quality. Prospective course participants can register here until 4 July 2022.