Prof. Dr. Hristo Hinkov, MD was born on March 25, 1953 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He graduated in medicine in 1980. He started his professional career as a GP in Botevgrad. He later worked at the Novi Iskar Psychiatric Hospital, where he also majored in psychiatry. In 1988, he won a competition as a research fellow in the First Psychiatric Clinic of the Medical Academy but a year later, he quitted and worked in the next 10 years as a consultant psychiatrist at the Pirogov Institute for Emergency Medical Care.
In 1997-1999 Prof. Hinkov worked at the Ministry of Health as Head of the Projects Department; in 1999-2001 he held the position of Deputy Director of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) where he was in charge of training and NHIF human resources.
In 2001, he withdrew from the NHIF to join the National Center of Public Health and Analyses, where he defended his doctoral thesis. In 2014, he was appointed Director of the National Center of Public Health and Analyses, and he held this position until 2022.
Prof. Hinkov has specialized in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Japan and the USA. He has participated in a number of projects and programs related to healthcare and healthcare reform. Prof. Hinkov was one of the initiators to reestablish the Bulgarian Medical Union in 1990. He is author of numerous publications in the field of public health, health reform and mental health issues. Professor at the Directorate of Mental Health and Prevention of Addictions with the National Center of Public Health and Analyses.
6 June 2023: Minister of Health.
