Sofia, May 7, 2020
On May 7 2020 the academic year for the new health mediators from all over the country started. The education is organized for a ninth consecutive year by the National Network of Health Mediators in partnership with the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) of the Medical University – Sofia. BFPA is an important and integral part of the educational team from the very start of the health mediator program. This year’s class consists of around 50 people from all over the country. In the difficult situation because of COVID-19 academia, municipalities and the mediators themselves faced for the first time the challenge to ensure an online education instead of the traditional form in FPH at MU-Sofia using the modern possibilities for online communication.
The education will continue for a month until the beginning of June. The remote education will be aided by a “Health Mediators’ handbook” prepared by the educational team and it will help the students with learning the material. The edition is also a valuable resource for the already working “veteran” mediators. In the handbook they can find also the topics that have been elaborated by BFPA – basic periods in human development, family planning, reproductive health, contraception, STIs, maternal and child health, prevention of cervical and breast cancer, health campaigns and messages in the Roma community, effective communication in a multiethnic environment, etc. The final exams will be conducted again in the online platform due to the epidemiological situation in the country, but will give to the commission of trainers the opportunity to discuss individually with every mediator and assess the level of knowledge acquired.
Again this year the potential new health mediators were selected through a transparent selection procedure held by every municipality with the representation of RHI and the NNHM educational expert team a part of which is BFPA. The main criteria for being selected are a high-school education degree, being part of the community they will work in, knowledge and partiality to the problems of the community and fluency in the communal language.
The new health mediators will work in the municipalities of Aitos, Borovan, Borovo, Byala, Vetovo, Vidin, Vulchi dol, Vurbitza, Gulyantzi, Gurkovo, Dimitrovgrad, Dobrich, Dryanovo, Elena, Etropole, Kavarna, Karnobat, Kaspichan, Krivodol, Letnitza, Lom, Lukovit, Medkovetz, Mezdra, Muglizh, Montana, Novo selo, Pazardjik, Purvomai, Samuil, Sandanski, Septemvri, Simitli, Sliven, Straldja, Strumyani, Sungurlare, Tvurditza, Troyan, Ugurchin and Yablanitza.
In 2020 with an allocated state budget there will be 260 health mediators working in 136 municipalities in Bulgaria.
During the education of the new batch of health mediators the efforts continue to inform communities about the COVID-19 epidemic, the ways of protection and complying with the anti-epidemic measures as well as for supplying the health mediators with personal protection equipment and hygiene material and basic products for the most vulnerable families.