NATIONAL  TRANSPORT  HOSPITAL
Transport workers health promotion in Bulgaria is under the subjection of Ministry of Transport and Communications. National  Transport Hospital (NTH) serves as an occupational health service for transport workers of all kinds of transport- railway, road, water and air transport. The Institute is situated in Sofia. The contingent of the TMI is 49878 transport workers. There are 150 beds in the Hospital and annually at about 6000 in-patients and 40000 out-patients pass through the Institute's clinics and ambulatory. 

NTH consists of several departments:

      1. Dept. of Internal Medicine with:
          - Pulmology
          - Gastroenterology
          - Nephrology
      2. Cardiology clinic
      5. Dept. of Surgery
          - Chest and abdominal surgery
          - Traumatology
          - Urology
      6. Clinic of Otorhynolaringology
      7. Clinic of Ophthalmology
      8. Clinic of Neurology and Othoneurology
      9. Clinic of Gynecology
    10. Dept. of Dermatology
    11. Intensive Care Unit
    12. Dept. of Clinical laboratory, Immunology and Microbiology. 
    13. Dept. of Radiology
    14. Dept. of Pathology
    15. Occupational health service
    16. Department of Medical Informatics
    17. Psychological laboratory
The above mentioned structures have the following functions:
    1. Pre-entry medical and psychological certification  of all workers.
    2. Prophylaxy, diagnosis and treatment of the diseases among transport workers.
    3. Long term control and premedication of the risk professional groups.
    4. Medical certification of temporary incapacity for work and complete invalidity.
    5. Complex of sanitary and preventive medical measures such as regular vaccination, sanitary inspection, etc.
A computerized system for registration and monitoring of workers health is being developed.

Besides the functions of occupational hospital, NTH has functions of a research institution as well. The basic research activities are focused in assessment morbidity of transport workers. They were classified according to the specificity of their work in professional groups. The conditions of work of the different groups of transport workers depend on physical, biological, chemical and psycho social factors. The research interests were concentrated mainly upon the following problems:
      1. Cardio-vascular diseases.
      2. Obesity and cardio-vascular risk.
      3. Gastroenterological diseases and various nutrition patterns.
      4. Accidents during work- epidemiological investigations.
      5. Neurological and psychological disorders.
      6. Infectious diseases among transport workers.
      7. Major surgery and impaired nutritional status - their effect upon some indices of cellular and humoral immunity.
      8. Evaluation of occupational factors: physical and mental work load, shift work regimens, temperature, humidity, atmosphere composition, rock, illumination, radioactivity, etc. and their effect on human's health.
      9. Ophthalmological diseases among transport workers.
    10. Health standards for fitness for work.

There are Regional Transport Hospitals in four big towns of the country: Plovdiv, Gorna Oriahovitza, Varna, Stara Zagora.

    Plovdiv Regional Transport Hospital
There are 80 beds and three wards - therapeutic, surgical and neurological. The contingent is 31196 transport workers. Annually at about 1200 in-patients pass through the hospital wards.

    Gorna Oriahovitza Regional Transport Hospital
There are 60 beds and three wards - therapeutic, surgical and neurological. The contingent is 15179 transport workers. Annually at about 2200 in-patients pass through the hospital wards.

    Varna Regional Transport Hospital
There are 40 beds and two wards - therapeutic and surgical. The contingent is 19250 transport workers. Annually at about 600 in-patients pass through the hospital wards.

    Stara Zagora Regional Transport Hospital
There are 15 beds and one ward - therapeutic. The contingent is 6501 transport workers. Annually at about 400 in-patients pass through the ward.

The preliminary, periodic and control medical examinations are conducted at the Policlinic Sections of these hospitals. Besides, there are four central policlinics for railway, road, air and water transport workers.

If qualified medical help is needed transport workers are hospitalized at the clinics and wards of the transport hospitals.

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