Bulgarian uses the Cyrillic alphabet. This guide provides both Cyrillic and transliterated versions of key phrases. Most infectious disease specialists in Sofia have some English, and the community services (Checkpoint Sofia, Single Step) can often communicate in English.
The Health System
| Purpose | Transliteration | Bulgarian Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Health Insurance Fund | NHIF / NZOK | Национална здравноосигурителна каса (НЗОК) | Bulgaria's public health insurance system. Coverage is mandatory for citizens and registered residents. Foreigners without Bulgarian insurance registration should present an EHIC card (EU/EEA) for emergency care. |
| ID Card | Lichna karta | Лична карта | Your Bulgarian identity document. Presented at hospitals and clinics for insurance verification. |
| Personal Doctor / GP | Lichen lekar | Личен лекар | Your registered family doctor. Entry point to the public health system. Can provide referrals to specialists. |
| Infectious Disease Hospital | SBALIPB | СБАЛИПБ | Specialised Hospital for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases in Sofia. The primary centre for HIV treatment, PEP, and infectious disease specialist care. |
| Private clinic / private practice | Chastna klinika / Chastnen kabinet | Частна клиника / Частен кабинет | Often more accessible and sometimes more affirming than the public system. |
Key Vocabulary
| Purpose | Transliteration | Bulgarian Term |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital | Bolnitsa | Болница |
| Emergency department | Speshno otdelenie | Спешно отделение |
| Doctor | Lekar | Лекар |
| Infectious disease specialist | Infektsiolog | Инфекциолог |
| Pharmacy | Apteka | Аптека |
| Prescription | Retsepta | Рецепта |
| Test / examination | Izsledvane | Изследване |
| Anonymous | Anonimen | Анонимен |
| HIV | HIV | ХИВ |
| Post-exposure prophylaxis | PEP | ПЕП |
| Pre-exposure prophylaxis | PrEP | ПрЕП |
| Sexually transmitted infections | Polovo predavani infektsii | Полово предавани инфекции (ППИ) |
| Gonorrhoea | Gonoreya | Гонорея |
| Syphilis | Sifilis | Сифилис |
| Chlamydia | Khlamidiya | Хламидия |
| Hepatitis | Hepatit | Хепатит |
Key Phrases
Getting Tested
| Purpose | Transliteration | Bulgarian Term |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | "Govorite li angliyski?" | „Говорите ли английски?" |
| HIV test | "Iskam test za HIV." | „Искам тест за ХИВ." |
| Full STI screen | "Iskam palen test za polovo predavani infektsii." | „Искам пълен тест за полово предавани инфекции." |
| Three-site swabs | "Iskam probi ot garlo, rektum i urina." | „Искам проби от гърло, ректум и урина." |
| Anonymous test | "Iskam anonimen test." | „Искам анонимен тест." |
Needing PEP
| Purpose | Transliteration | Bulgarian Term |
|---|---|---|
| I had an HIV risk | "Imah riskov kontakt s HIV." | „Имах рисков контакт с ХИВ." |
| I need PEP | "Imam nuzda ot PEP (postekspozitsionna profilaktika)." | „Имам нужда от ПЕП (постекспозиционна профилактика)." |
| Hours ago | "Predi [X] chasa." | „Преди [X] часа." |
Starting PrEP
| Purpose | Transliteration | Bulgarian Term |
|---|---|---|
| I want PrEP | "Iskam da priemam PrEP." | „Искам да приемам ПрЕП." |
| I'm on PrEP — need my monitoring appointment | "Priemam PrEP. Noozhna mi e kontolna konzultatsiya." | „Приемам ПрЕП. Нужна ми е контролна консултация." |
| What does it cost? | "Kolko struva?" | „Колко струва?" |
At the Hospital
| Purpose | Transliteration | Bulgarian Term |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency | "Speshno!" | „Спешно!" |
| Infectious disease dept | "Infektsiozno otdelenie" | „Инфекциозно отделение" |
| I have insurance | "Imam zdravna osigurovka." | „Имам здравна осигуровка." |
| EHIC card (EU) | "Imam evropeyska zdravnoosiguritelna karta." | „Имам европейска здравноосигурителна карта." |
| I need help | "Noozhna mi e pomosht!" | „Нужна ми е помощ!" |
| Call an ambulance | "Vikayte linska!" | „Викайте линейка!" |
Emergency Numbers
| Number | Service |
|---|---|
| 112 | Pan-European emergency (ambulance, fire, police) |
| 150 | Bulgarian ambulance direct |
| 0800 11 011 | Mental health crisis line (check current availability) |
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