Десет години европейско членство: дефектна демокрация, зависими институции

Author(s): Atanas Slavov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1-2/2017

This article is focused on the effects of EU membership of the country in ten years perspective. The study analyzes institutional and legislative reforms, related to the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, establishing independent regulatory and controlling bodies for fighting political corruption and conflict of interests. These issues are studied in a comparative regional perspective taking into account the tendencies and phases in developing democratic institutions (their consolidation, stagnation and erosion). Institutional reforms are analyzed in the light of common European standards for strengthening the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary as well as taking in the light of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. The conclusion builds on the idea that legislative reforms are necessary, but not sufficient in achieving common democratic standards for independence and accountability of key institutions. These reforms need to be complemented by inclusion of important stakeholders and active participation of civil society actors in the process.

Психосоциални и медицински аспекти при проследяване на случай с Lues – норми, забрани и предразсъдъци

Author(s): Milena Dimitrova,Rositsa Doynovska,Dancho Dilkov,Trayanka Grigorova,Galina Dimitrova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2020

Nowadays, syphilis is both a well-known and a forgotten disease, due to the rarer morbidity and higher effectiveness in the treatment of the infection. Despite that, it poses a challenge, one formed out of, on one hand, the work of the multidisciplinary team/APL, a nurse, an infectionist, a psychiatrist, a dermatologist, a psychologist/and, on the other hand, the prejudices and fears of the patient and his relatives. This is due to the fact that it is most commonly a blood-borne or sexually transmitted and can affect all organs in the human body, causing severe, lasting consequences - both physical and psychological in nature. The high variability of symptoms, the possibility of developing the disease in a wide time range after infection, the need for a complex approach to working with patients all lead to difficulties in the diagnosing and timely treatment of syphilis. This article examines in detail a clinical case of newly-diagnosed neurosyphilis – from the doctor's office to the difficult way out of it, trying to answer the question: Is it possible to have a happy ending in a rather strict, stigmatizing society.

Помощни средства и технологии в приобщаващото образование

Author(s): Pelagia Terziyska / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2020

Managing information security in healthcare

Author(s): BOŽIĆ Velibor / Language(s): English Issue: 02/2020

Smart city consists of: waste management, smart energy, education, smart communications, smart transportation, traffic management, smart parking, smart streetlights and smart healthcare. All of these areas require management of information safety. Here, the topic is management of information safety in healthcare. The objective is to show the new approach to management of information safety, which involves all employees in this process. Whether manufacturing or service, public or private, organizations increasingly depend on information and communication technology (ICT). ICT presents in such extent that its users are not even aware of its influence. It is a usual part of any organization. However, the dependence on ICT holds a potential hazard for organization’s performance. Some issues about the ICT safety should be addressed in every organization. First, does the management of an organization is aware of the potential risks and problems in the ICT area, such as potential ICT unavailability (risk culture) or accidental damage? Is there a systematic approach to threat identification, vulnerability exploration, and evaluation of the impact of realized threats on the business? Is an organization aware of the value of ICT, which should be treated in the organization as any other asset influencing business efficiency and effectiveness? Preventive and corrective actions (system of controls) are warranted for mitigating the risk of destruction or abuse of ICT. In this paper, we discuss these questions and suggest possible solutions. There are many works about the topic but these are stressed only one segment in management of information safety. We used case study, observation and structure analysis in our exploration. The results will be presented here. The results will be useful for everybody who is worried about information security in organizations. Value of this paper is showing the need of multidisciplinary approach in management of information safety.

Transitions Online_Around the Bloc-2 July

Author(s): Ioana Caloianu / Language(s): English Issue: 07/06/2020

News from around the bloc: Russians stick with Putin; LGBT breakthrough in Montenegro; coronavirus warning for Balkans; high price for protesting in Kazakhstan; and Romanian castles for a song.

O analiză intersectorială privind răspunsul global, internațional și național la pandemia COVID-19

Author(s): Ionuț Aichimoaie / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 14/2020

While governments and international organizations had more or less prepared plans for a global pandemic, the planning of the accompanying economic shock was much less studied. This paper summarizes research-based policy analyzes and comments on COVID-19 economic measures from international institutions and leading economists. Topics will cover international mechanisms for preventing and combating the effects of the pandemic (trade, capital flows, financial institutions, expectations, etc.), as well as internal impact, such as the size, persistence and sectoral composition of economic instruments. Topics covered also include the impact on political economy, income and inequality, environmental impact, job insecurity, education and research.

Regionalne zróżnicowanie występowania chorób zawodowych

Author(s): Aneta Staszek,Anna Weszczak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 07/2013

This paper presents the status, structure, and dynamics of occupational diseases, as well as the occurrence of spatial inequalities and concentration of the surveyed phenomenon in Poland. The analysis was conducted by voivodships and groups of diseases, using measures of spatial concentration. The study drew attention to the organizational innovation and technical development of new products and technologies that have an impact on reducing the number of employees in hazardous conditions.

Around the Bloc-Monday, 14 September

Author(s): Ioana Caloianu / Language(s): English Issue: 09/21/2020

Regional headlines: a boost for Russian opposition; Baltic travel bubble bursts; virus hoax believers in Kosovo; Uzbek cotton; and a remarkable Mongolian cuckoo.

Around the Bloc-Thursday, 17 September

Author(s): Ioana Caloianu / Language(s): English Issue: 09/21/2020

Regional headlines: Jewish pilgrims stuck in Belarus; Bosnian war crimes suspects; attack on Bulgarian journalist; education and COVID-19 in the Caucasus; and ancient bear found in Russia.

Transitions Online_Around the Bloc-Tuesday, 20 October 2020

Author(s): Ky Krauthamer / Language(s): English Issue: 10/26/2020

Regional headlines: Slovakia to test entire nation for coronavirus; Kyrgyz ex-official charged; Kazakhstan abolishes death penalty; a Balkan cultural spat; and Turkmenistan’s food crisis.

Central Europe & Baltics-A Sad Fall From Grace

Author(s): Jiří Pehe / Language(s): English Issue: 10/26/2020

The Czech Republic went from being a leader in the fight against COVID-19 to a disaster in less than six months. What happened?

Commentary: Three Lessons in Chaotism

Author(s): Martin Ehl / Language(s): English Issue: 11/02/2020

What remains of public trust in the state is vanishing as the pandemic roars back into Central Europe.

Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia w systemie ochrony zdrowia

Author(s): Piotr Lizakowski / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2020

This article focuses on the analysis of the legal and financial framework in which the National Health Fund functions in Poland. It has been confirmed that the Polish health care system is a structurally and relationally complicated entity and that the public authorities are responsible for the health security of citizens. Public tasks in this area are implemented through the use of strategic documents. The National Health Fund plays a key role in this field. However, it does not exercise a coordinating role, and still, it has an actual impact on the state of health security in Poland. Consideration should be given to the changes of contracting procedures proposed by scientists and practitioners, bearing in mind that simply increasing the amount of funding will not automatically improve the current situation without the drive towards more efficient spending of public funds. The main objective of this article is to analyse the existing contradiction in the Polish health care system, which comes down to the dilemma: how to reconcile patient’s welfare with the economic efficiency of public health care providers. The undertaken research problem has been reflected in the selection of research methods. For the purposes of this article, the following research methods have been used: critical analysis, the examination of documents, and observation. The undertaking of considerations was preceded by a preliminary survey of publications related to security and health sciences as well as management and social policy. A lot of articles, binding legal acts, internal legal acts, judicial decisions, official documents that are significant for the reasoning process presented in the article have been insightfully analyzed. In this area, a comparative analysis has proved to be particularly helpful.

Rola i zadania sieci szpitali publicznych w procesie kształtowania bezpieczeństwa zdrowotnego

Author(s): Piotr Robakowski,Katarzyna Pogorzelczyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2020

The Primary Hospital Health Care Services Security System was established in 2017 as a response to the need to increase the level of health security in Poland. The assumptions of the project included ensuring the comprehensiveness and continuity of the provided health services and taking care of the patient at every stage of diagnosis and treatment, thus covering most of the objectives and priorities of the national health policy. The conducted research and inspections showed that hospitals’ network does not perform its functions at a satisfactory level. Therefore, this article’s subject has become the network of hospitals as a key element of Polish health security. The study aims to examine the role and tasks of the network of public hospitals in shaping the process of health security, as well as the extent to which it fulfills its function of providing health security to citizens. The research methods used included an analysis of the literature on the subject, legal acts in force, available studies, and scientific and industry articles. The authors asked the following research question: does a network of hospitals fulfill the obligation of providing health safety to society? There was also a thesis that the current state of the hospital network is not satisfactory. The conclusions may be an inspiration for improving the organization of the health care system in Poland. They contain recommendations on how to improve the system and improve the level of health security by, among other things, introducing a system solution for better management of the hospital bed base or more effective use of maps of health needs.

Webinarium pt. „Globalna i regionalna rozgrywka pandemią COVID-19”

Author(s): Dawid Szczepuła / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2020

Rozwój polskiego prawodawstwa w zakresie badań lekarskich w sporcie jako aspektu wpływającego na poziom bezpieczeństwa w sporcie

Author(s): Patryk Masłowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2019

The article analyzes and evaluates the changes in Polish legal regulations in the field of medical examinations in sport as one of the most important aspects affecting the assurance of the safety of people practicing specific sports. Particular attention has been devoted to the assessment of modern solutions in the field of medical examinations, resulting from the evaluation process that has taken place in this matter over the last few decades. The considerations were supported by a comparative analysis of changes that took place in connection with activities aimed at minimizing the risk of potential health risk and even the life of an athlete practicing a specific sport. The author indicates how in particular periods of the second half of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century regulations on medical examinations in sport were shaped. This is to create a holistic image whose analysis allows to assess in a systematic manner the positive impact of current legal solutions on the level of safety of athletes in the subject matter.

Pandemia a wschodnioeuropejskie przyspieszenie

Author(s): Natalia Bryżko‑Zapór / Language(s): Polish Issue: 683/2021

COVID-19 dotknął całego świata, ale geopolityczna szachownica Europy Wschodniej w tym czasie ożyła i rozpoczęła się na niej nowa partia. Nie można pominąć w tej rozgrywce udziału zachodnich graczy, a w szczególności nowego gambitu, który może wykonać nowa administracja USA.

Преживявания на студенти в условията на пандемия от Covid-19

Author(s): Valeri Stoyanov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2021

Using the methodological approach of qualitative research to conduct empirical research in the social sciences, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' experiences of the present and their projections for the future is revealed. The results show that many of them find positives from social isolation in the opportunity to pay more attention to the people important to them and to work more purposefully on their own development. On the other hand, serious fears are revealed, the main of which is for the health and life of their loved ones, as well as for the future, for their career development and realization. They find it difficult to tolerate social isolation and most of them experience their mental state as shaky, as depressed. In general, students have a negative attitude towards distance learning– online, considering it inferior to face-to-face training and assess this training as a risk to their professional development and subsequent realization in the labor market.

Promoting the Internationalization of Speech-Language Pathology Education: The Bulgarian-American Cooperative Experience

Author(s): Robert F. Orlikoff,Dobrinka Georgieva / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2021

Several collaborative projects between South-West University in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, and 8 universities in the USA have worked well to improve the overall competence of students in speech-language pathology programs and practicing clinicians to better meet the needs of individuals with fluency and voice disorders. The US Fulbright Senior Specialist and EU Erasmus+ exchange programs serve as effective instruments that provide systemic and long-term impact supporting innovation and fostering contemporary teaching methods. These international projects prepare students and faculty succeed in a global, multicultural society, and in doing so, advance speech-language pathology as an evidence-based allied health science discipline.

GOLFO ALEXOPOULOS. ILLNESS AND INHUMANITY IN STALIN’S GULAG

Author(s): Mikhail Nakonechnyi / Language(s): Russian Issue: 3/2020

Review of: Михаил Наконечный - Golfo Alexopoulos. Illness and Inhumanity in Stalin’s Gulag. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2017. 328 pp. ISBN 978-0-300-17941-5.