Health tourism in Bulgaria

Bulgaria's health tourism centres offer exceptionally good value for money. The pleasure of travel comes as a bonus.

Increasingly, west Europeans set off for Bulgaria to obtain medical services. The combination of low prices, competitive quality of treatment, and mineral water resources makes the country one of the most attractive health tourism destinations in Europe.

In 2004, the number of incoming tourists who visited the Bulgarian spa centres increased by approximately 20 percent, compared to 2003. The well developed network of private cosmetic surgery and dental clinics offer services at prices several times lower than the lowest in the European Union, and this fact has attracted the attention of the large insurance companies that cover their clients' medical expenses. They are more willing than before to pay for trips to the east, where treatment is many times cheaper.

Plastic surgery not covered by medical insurance also attracts clients with prices that are up to five times lower. The good value of medical treatment is topped up with high-quality service: foreign patients in Bulgaria have a wide choice of doctors and clinics because in the mid-1990s many of the best physicians in the country, disappointed with their low state salaries, set up private surgeries and clinics.

Mineral water treatment

Mineral water treatment is particularly popular among foreign tourists, because Bulgaria boasts more than a thousand mineral springs scattered throughout the country. The water content in many of them is similar to those in world-renowned spas like Baden-Baden and Vichy.

Some present-day Bulgarian spas were built on the sites of ancient Roman thermae or Turkish baths. The best-known balneology and mud bath therapy centres are Pavel Banya, Hisar, Velingrad, Narechen, Vurshets, Kyustendil and Momin Prohod, near Kostenets. They specialise in the treatment of different ailments, depending on their water content.

Hisar, located among the impressive ruins of an ancient Roman fortress in the plain between the Balkan Mountains and Plovdiv, is recommended for renal and gastrointestinal illnesses. Sapareva Banya sprang up around the hottest water spring in Bulgaria. Narechen specialises in neural disorders, Pavel Banya in orthopaedic illnesses and traumas, and Sandanski in pulmonary diseases. Two large seaside resorts, Albena and Pomorie, offer mud bath treatment.

Most of these centres also offer special rehabilitation and toning programmes. The prices vary, depending on the treatment. For example, a 10-day anti-stress programme, including aromatherapy, massage, and Iye-phoresis, costs less than 100 Euros; a flve-day treatment of rheumatic pain is from 70 to 110 Euros. Accommodation is between 20 and 70 Euros a day, full board.