Learning medical vocabulary in any language can be a daunting task, but it’s an incredibly useful undertaking, especially for those working in healthcare, planning to travel, or live abroad. Here are some key medical terms in Bulgarian that may come in handy in a variety of situations.

Лекар (lek-ar) – Doctor
A person who is qualified to treat people who are ill. In Bulgarian-speaking countries, a лекар is whom you’d see for medical attention.
Моля, може ли да ми препоръчате добър лекар?
(May I have a recommendation for a good doctor?)

Болница (bol-neets-a) – Hospital
A health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized medical and nursing staff.
Приятелят ми е в болницата след катастрофата.
(My friend is in the hospital following the accident.)

Аптека (ap-teka) – Pharmacy
A store where medicinal drugs are dispensed and sold.
Ще отида до аптеката да купя лекарства.
(I will go to the pharmacy to buy some medicine.)

Лекарство (le-karst-vo) – Medicine
A substance or preparation used in treating disease.
Лекарят ми предписа ново лекарство.
(My doctor prescribed me a new medicine.)

Рецепта (re-tsep-ta) – Prescription
A piece of paper on which a doctor writes the details of the medicine or drugs that someone needs.
Ще ти трябва рецепта за това лекарство.
(You will need a prescription for this medicine.)

Болка (bol-ka) – Pain
A highly unpleasant physical sensation caused by illness or injury.
Имам силна болка в гърба.
(I have severe back pain.)

Температура (tem-pe-ra-tu-ra) – Fever/Temperature
An abnormally high body temperature, usually associated with a fever.
Детето има висока температура и трябва да остане в леглото.
(The child has a high temperature and needs to stay in bed.)

Спешен случай (spesh-en slu-chai) – Emergency
A serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action.
За спешни случаи, моля, натиснете червения бутон.
(For emergencies, please press the red button.)

Хирург (hi-rurg) – Surgeon
A medical practitioner qualified to practice surgery.
Хирургът ще проведе операцията утре сутринта.
(The surgeon will perform the operation tomorrow morning.)

Имунизация (i-mu-ni-za-tsi-ya) – Immunization
The process whereby a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease, typically by the administration of a vaccine.
Имунизацията ще помогне да се предпазите от грипа.
(The immunization will help protect you against the flu.)

Операция (o-pe-ra-tsi-ya) – Surgery
A medical procedure involving an incision with instruments, performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body.
След операцията, пациентът се възстанови бързо.
(After the surgery, the patient recovered quickly.)

Диагноза (dia-gno-za) – Diagnosis
The identification of the nature of an illness or other problem by examination of the symptoms.
Лекарят постави диагноза след прегледа.
(The doctor made a diagnosis after the examination.)

Симптом (simp-tom) – Symptom
A physical or mental feature that is regarded as indicating a condition of disease.
Кашлицата е симптом на много респираторни заболявания.
(Coughing is a symptom of many respiratory diseases.)

Ваксина (vak-se-na) – Vaccine
A substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases.
Ваксината създава имунитет срещу вируса.
(The vaccine creates immunity against the virus.)

Each of these terms serves as a building block for deeper medical conversations and understanding in a Bulgarian context. They form the basis of discussions with healthcare professionals, reading medical literature, or even navigating health insurance and pharmacy visits in Bulgaria.