The implementation of the first project under the programme has started

07-06-2019 16:18

Today, a press conference was held in the Conference hall of the Bulgarian Red Cross Association to announce the start of the implementation of the first project under the "Local development, poverty reduction and enhanced inclusion of vulnerable groups" programme, co-funded by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014- 2021.

The project "Innovative Community Care Models in Favour of People with Chronic Diseases and Permanent Disabilities" will be implemented by the Bulgarian Red Cross Association, in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the Ministry of Health and the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS).

The official guests of the event were: Biser Petkov - Minister of Labour and Social Policy, representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Bulgarian Medical Association; Prof. Asen Baltov - Director of "Pirogov" University Hospital; Tzvetana Guerdjikova - Director of External European Programs Directorate at the Ministry of Education and Science and Head of the Programme Operator. Representatives of the project promotor teams, the Program Operator and the National Focal Point, mayors and deputy mayors of the municipalities in which the main activities will be realized as well as representatives of other partner organizations and journalists were also present.

The press conference was opened by the President of the Bulgarian Red Cross – Acad. Hristo Grigorov.The Key speaker of the event was the Project Manager - Dr. Nadezhda Todorovska, Deputy Director General of the Bulgarian Red Cross, who informed the journalists and the stakeholders attending the conference, about the objectives, the activities and the expected results of the project.

The main objective of the project is to create an innovative model for the monitoring of people with chronic diseases (telecare center) and to provide complex care for people with Chronic Diseases and Permanent Disabilities, aged over 50 and living in the municipalities of Vratsa, Vidin, Montana, Oryahovo , Krivodol, Byala Slatina and Belogradchik, as well as in the neighboring smaller villages.

The project has a total budget of 3 333 333 euro and will finance the following main activities:

- Creating three new home care centres and mobile teams in the regions of Vratsa, Vidin and Montana;

- Providing care in a home environment for over 700 people;

- Creating more than 80 jobs for nurses and home helpers after carrying out vocational training and improving their qualification;

- The innovative part of the project includes the creation in the city of Vratza of the first providing tele assistance that will help 500 people from the three districts.