The Department of Pediatrics was founded in March 1963 on the basis of the Pediatric Department of the United City Hospital - Varna. The first head, Prof. Dr. Stefan Dimitrov, created and established the department as a renowned and modern educational, diagnostic-treatment, consultative-methodical and research center in Northeastern Bulgaria. In parallel with the founding of the department, he also laid the foundation for a specialized scientific clinical laboratory, which became a base for the introduction of new diagnostic and research methods.
In 1968, the Department of Pediatrics was housed in the newly built Surgical Block of the Varna Children's Hospital, with a bed capacity of 155 beds. Gradually, the staff of the department increased and a team of pediatricians with high professional training and pedagogical experience was formed around the initial core.
In 1986, the Therapeutic Block was opened and the department was based on the fifth and sixth floors with four specialized pediatric clinics, a total of 106 beds and 6 beds for a pediatric day hospital. At that time, the specialized clinics were: First Clinic of Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Resuscitation and Intensive Care Unit (DORIL), Second Clinic of Pediatric Rheumatocardiology, Third Clinic of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology and Fourth Clinic of Pediatric Hematology and Endocrinology.
In addition to the children's clinics, a children's emergency room and a children's consultation room have been opened. Thus, the Department of Pediatrics is deploying the first specialized children's clinics outside the capital and the first children's intensive care unit in Northeastern Bulgaria.
The period after 1986 was characterized by intensive development of all profiled areas in clinical-diagnostic and scientific research activities. The initial organization of the clinics underwent many changes, improvements and restructurings depending on the territorial possibilities and development of the profile areas.
The current clinical structure was formed in 2014 and includes three clinics: First Children's Clinic with a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neurology and Neonatology (PICU), Second Children's Clinic and Children's Clinic of Clinical Hematology and Oncology. Today, these children's clinics are an integral part of the Department of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics and are structured at the University Hospital "St. Marina" - Varna, as the "Pediatrics" department headed by Prof. Dr. Violeta Iotova.
The First pediatric clinic with PICU is headed by Prof. Dr. Violeta Iotova. The structure has 4-5 beds, of which 10 are intensive in DOIL. On its territory, a Center for Innovative Therapies and Advanced Technologies in Diabetes (CITAT-D) operates. In 2016, an Expert Center for Rare Endocrine Diseases was opened at the Clinic, a member of the European Network Endo-ERN .
The Second pediatric clinic is led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krasimira Koleva with 31 beds opened. An Expert Center for Cystic Fibrosis operates at the Clinic.
In 2013, a complete overhaul and equipment of the two clinics was completed, contributing to their establishment as modern diagnostic, treatment and expert centers in pediatric endocrinology, nephrology, cardiology, rheumatology, intensive care and pulmonology, gastroenterology and neurology, respectively.
The Specialized Pediatric Clinic of Clinical Hematology and Oncology is headed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Milena Belcheva . It is one of the three specialized clinics in Bulgaria for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of children with blood diseases and solid tumors. In 2013, a Center for Complex Treatment of Thalassemia and Hemophilia was built at the clinic, structured according to the European criteria for expert centers for rare diseases.
