In brief
Bulgarian Labour Minister Natalia Efremova announced that the government will use €7 million from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to build and equip three new residential care homes in the Montana Region. The facilities will house 43 elderly people who need ongoing medical care, while existing care homes serve 229 residents. The project is part of a national effort to modernize elderly care, with all services required to open by 1 January 2035.
In November 2026, Bulgaria’s Labour and Social Policy Minister Natalia Efremova announced plans to establish integrated health and social residential care services for 43 elderly residents in the Montana Region, covering the municipalities of Lom, Montana and Chiprovtsi.
The new homes will serve 12 people in Lom, 23 in the city of Montana and eight in Chiprovtsi, according to authorities. Funding for the region comes from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, with €7 million earmarked for construction and equipment. The total national allocation for the project is €188 million.
These facilities will join three existing homes that already care for 229 seniors in the region. The National Map of Social Services also targets the creation of additional service for 121 residents of retirement age, and the current proposals will provide beds for a combined total of 91 people.
Alongside institutional care, the state offers home‑based assistance. Today, 498 people across the region’s 11 municipalities receive support in their own homes, and another 2,683 people with disabilities are helped under the Personal Assistance Act.
All newly built or revised homes must be operational by 1 January 2035, the minister said during parliamentary question time. The ministry also highlighted a priority for at‑home assistance and a plan to gradually close specialized institutions in favor of integrated care.
Municipalities of Montana and Chiprovtsi have already submitted projects under the “Support for Integrated Urban Development in 40 Urban Municipalities,” the second component of the Regions in Growth Programme, to secure EU‑backed funding for these expanded services.
