Pavel Panov: They urgently put stents on my heart, but I paid for it

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Pavel Panov: They urgently put stents on my heart, but I paid for it
Pavel Panov: They urgently put stents on my heart, but I paid for it
Anonim

The football legend of "Levski" Pavel Panov was born on September 16, 1950 in Sofia. He is a four-time champion of Bulgaria and a five-time winner of the national cup. He was the top scorer in the championship in 1976 and 1977. Bulgaria's 1 footballer in 1977. He scored 22 goals for "Levski" in European tournaments. In 1969, he became European junior champion. He has 44 matches and 13 goals for the national team, with which he participated in the world championship in Germany in 1974. He was a coach in "Levski" in 1986-1987 and 1989-1990, of the youth national team in 1992-1993, and also on "Botev", "Septemvri", "Lokomotiv" and "Rodopa". He currently works as a technical director at the BFS and a coordinator for children's and youth football. Pavel Panov reveals how he feels today and how his football career has affected his he alth in an interview with“Doctor”.

The older generations remember that match against Ajax in 1977 when they broke your legs. How did you overcome this serious injury, Mr. Panov?

- When the right ankle was broken, everything was torn - joint capsule, ligaments of the ankle… Surgery was required, nailing.

Prof. Dimitar Shoilev operated on me then. Recovery was difficult - 6-7 months. I joked with the professor: "You nailed me so much that I got better!" (laughing). Thumbs up to Prof. Shoilev, but I'm happy with the operation, he fixed me up. I'm moving normally.

During my football career I have had other operations. I have many injuries. I don't count the blows, they are fleeting, they pass. But I had surgery on ligaments and menisci on my ankle. I was even operated on for appendicitis while I was playing. Back then, there was no arthroscopy, but a straight cut, they opened the knee to remove the meniscus.

Did you have surgery again with Prof. Shoilev?

- Dr. Kolev operated on my knee at the Medical Academy. I was under complete anesthesia and when I woke up, a dark-skinned man in a white apron was leaning over me and was asking how I was doing. I call myself:

if this one also learned to operate on me - finish with my knee!

And it turned out to be one of the medical interns.

How many surgeries have you had "thanks" to football?

- A lot, but I haven't lost from my soccer technique. Then I was the center of attention of all the defenders. Not that they were extremely rough, but there were tougher footballers among them. And it's quite normal to have more injuries.

Weren't you mad at the soccer player who broke your leg?

- Why should I be angry with the goalkeeper of "Ajax" - it happened by accident. I was chasing a ball that was going out. Eager to play, he lunged and landed on my supporting leg. That's how the trouble happened.

Now, after all these years, when you wake up in the morning, does anything hurt?

- When I wake up, I rejoice in life that I have woken up. At least for now, knock on wood, it doesn't hurt at all.

Do you observe any kind of diet, do you limit yourself in something for the sake of he alth?

- I have not followed any special diets. I just live the way I'm used to. I move enough. I'm still working, and in football. So I don't miss movement. But I don't go running in parks and gardens, I don't go to the gym. My time for these things is past. I'm not going to do a physique yet to show off how well-built I am. We had good figures, without gym and jogging.

Apart from football, have you practiced other sports?

- At one time I practiced all kinds of sports, starting with athletics, volleyball, basketball, I am even a city wrestling champion.

Only I have not tried boxing, but we in Konyovitsa fought without practicing boxing (laughs). Sport was a daily routine for us. We played physical education, gymnastics, street games, training in the club separately. While now children are satisfied with one training session, then they sit in front of the computer and start other games, without any movement. Therefore, you will often see children on the streets who

they don't even have walking coordination, let alone running technique

These things we used to get from playing in the street. There was also a place for games. But now there are less sports fields, more cars.

What would you say to parents who are afraid that their child will get tired, sick during training?

- To be calm. For this, there are coaches with the necessary licenses who know very well how to dose children's loads. That shouldn't bother them. Sport, no matter what it is, teaches discipline and many other things in life. For the boys, this is the only way to become real men, because there is no barracks. So the more sports kids get, the better. They will be further away from street temptations, they will protect themselves from drugs, alcohol.

Are you he althy? Do you go for preventive examinations?

- I haven't gone recently, although at work they do it every year. If they find something then, the doctors are ready to tell. But so far things are normal. Well, age takes its toll, but I'm still alive.

Do you take pills?

- I take aspirin every night because I had stents put in my heart, and that's it. I'm not hypertensive. I rarely get my blood count. It's only when I'm angry that it shows a lot.

Which hospital did they put you in?

- In “Tokuda”. I don't know what these people think, what prices they set and what they do! We pay he alth insurance all our lives, and when it comes to hospital, we pay again.

So you paid for the stents?

- I paid, but it turned out that they are still looking for me - some amount was not paid. They call from time to time. The amount they had said was transferred even immediately after the manipulation. After five years, even more, where do they find these documents, that it was not paid, I don't know!

One amount was transferred, the other not transferred! And they were translated at the same time. There were no objections then, now after so many years they have thought of asking me for more money. But I'm not going to pay for the same thing five times. It's not enough that I pay my he alth insurance premiums. It became urgent for me then. I didn't feel well, I went to the hospital, they did an electrocardiogram and they immediately put me in the room to put stents. It's both urgent and I'm paying myself. One is better off not working and not paying contributions. The uninsured go to "Pirogov", heal them and leave without paying anything.

And the regular payer always pays more

We have to go to the personal doctor and get referrals. And the others are being treated urgently.

Do you think the Bulgarian doctors are good?

- I have an idea as I have seen many doctors - traumatologists, cardiologists, abdominal surgeons, etc. I have to tell you that our specialists are wonderful. They just need to be given the necessary conditions. Modern devices for the most serious diseases, cancer, should be here instead of people going abroad. Why don't they buy this equipment, but people are forced to be treated abroad! This is our reality. We are expensive on bran and cheap on flour. It doesn't work like that!

Is it true that your daughter works in the medical field?

- She graduated in chemistry. He studies microbiology. He appeared in a competition and now works in Boston at a medical center where research is done to cure various diseases. The scientists he works with are involved in the discovery of new drugs for cancer.

What did she tell you about medicine in the US?

- They take care of people there. Each person undergoes preventive examinations during the year and, if necessary, is directed to other examinations. With Americans, prevention is the main thing, which we do not do here. We think of a doctor only when we get seriously ill and need treatment. But the conditions do not predispose a person to go and have a prophylactic examination. The first is money. When you go to any clinic without a referral, you have to pay everywhere. And if they start referring you to specialists for, God forbid, suspicion of some disease, it becomes quite difficult.

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