Ambulance attacks open wound of Roma relations in Bulgaria

Bulgarian doctor Irena Marinova poses for a picture near ambulances at a hospital in the town of Botevgrad January 12, 2015. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

VRACHESH, Bulgaria (Reuters) - When Bulgarian doctor Irena Marinova arrived in an ambulance at the home of a pregnant Roma woman in November, she says she was beaten up by two men who accused her of being late.

The government blamed Roma for 175 such attacks on medics last year and in December told ambulances not to go to areas where they have previously been assaulted unless their safety could be guaranteed. The remarks reignited tensions with the impoverished community and pose a new challenge to Europe's efforts to integrate its largest ethnic minority.