А 24-hour outpatient clinic offers a different model for children's healthcare

When sick, babies should be examined daily. This is the basic principle around which the 24-hour children’s healthcare facility Vela Clinic was established. This is the essential difference between it and most standard GPs.

The model was introduced by the founder of the clinic, Atanas Yanchev, MD. According to the doctor, Bulgaria provides strong pediatric education.

He started his business in a moment of stubbornness after buying a ground floor of a house near a Diagnostic and Consulting Center in Plovdiv. The style of work of the clinic is obviously appreciated since it already has branches in Sofia and Plovdiv, which so far have been visited by around 10,000 families from different countries and ethnicities.

The clinic operates 24/7 and is affordable. For a monthly fee, parents can have their children examined as many times as they need and at any time they decide.

The beginning, however, was not easy. It coincided with the economic crisis. Seeking financial resources, Dr. Yanchev applied to various banks and came across the Jobs Microfinance Institution, part of the Bulgarian Development Bank Group.

"We didn't have high expectations of getting a loan because we had not worked together. When the bank was satisfied that what we had created was valuable and unique and we were doing well, it approved our loan. No other bank helped us", Dr. Yanchev recalls."Currently in our healthcare system 2,000 to 3,000 people are under the care of one family doctor who cannot see them often enough. This is a defect in the system", says Dr. Yanchev.

In Vela Clinic, the same number of patients is under the care of 10-15 doctors working around the clock in both cities, connected to one electronic information system.

"The result is significantly fewer complications and minimal hospitalizations. According to this parameter Vela Clinic is comparable with the best practices in Europe and the USA ", says proudly the medical professional.