The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) has urged Eva Zhecheva, chairwoman of the National Agency for Child Protection, to investigate the causes of the high child mortality rate in the country's institutions for medical and social care for children (IMSCC), after it was discovered that 292 children died in these institutions since the beginning of the deinstitutionalization process in June 2010.

BHC researchers sought comprehensive data on IMSCC deaths after the publication of the Annual Report on Human Rights in Bulgaria in 2014. Even the partial data that was given by the institutions at the time of compiling the report already indicated a very high number of deaths.

The institutions for the medical and social care of children are managed by the Ministry of Health. They accommodate children up to 3 years of age who are deprived of parental care, as well as children with disabilities who need continuous rehabilitation.

With the assistance of the Ministry of Health, BHC sent Access to Public Information letters to all institutions of that kind requesting data about child mortality. The data provided by all 29 institutions revealed that there had been 292 child deaths in the period June 2010 to December 31, 2014.

BHC researchers understand that deaths in these institutions can occur as a result of the children’s medical conditions, but are concerned about the extremely high number of deaths and believe that the cases should be placed under scrutiny. The investigation into the cases should have a broad focus in order to reveal both the specific and systemic factors that contributed to the alarming number of deaths.