163 participants from university hospitals, patient organisations, the Parliamentary Committee on Health, the National Health Insurance Fund and the Ministry of Health took part in the 3rd National Conference for Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs. During the plenary sessions leading experts presented their position on designation of centres of expertise for rare diseases in the country – criteria, scope and how to formalise the status of these institutions in Bulgaria. An expert meeting will be held in a month time to approve the final proposals for the establishment of a regulation on the organisation and activities of centres of expertise for rare diseases. These changes are also necessary because of mandatory application of the Cross-boder Healthcare Directive by the end of October 2013. Detailed comments and photos from the 3rd National Conference for Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs will be published in the October edition of “Rare Diseases & Orphan Drugs”.
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