Investments in medical infrastructure
The Romanian government signed the contract for the building of the Craiova Regional Emergency Hospital, the third such medical unit after those in Iasi and Cluj
Sorin Iordan, 22.03.2024, 14:00
The health infrastructure in Romania has always been a topic of public interest and, therefore, speculated by politicians. After in almost 35 years since the Revolution of 1989 only 4 hospitals were built in Romania, yesterday the Bucharest Government signed a new contract for the construction of a regional hospital: the Craiova Regional Emergency Hospital, a massive project, which includes an eight-story building, over 800 beds for hospitalized patients, 19 operating rooms, 38 spaces for diagnostic and treatment services, as well as almost 1,600 of parking spaces.
The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has stated that with this project the Bucharest administration manages to wash away what he calls a “national shame” and to start the construction of the long-awaited regional hospitals.
Marcel Ciolacu: “On February 28, we signed the contracts for the two regional hospitals in Iasi and Cluj, and today we are signing the contract for the third Regional Emergency Hospital in Craiova. The Regional Hospital in Craiova will serve the entire southwest region of Romania and will offer highly complex healthcare services, using the latest technology for diagnosis and treatment. The regional hospital will be able to treat over 800 people per day. (…) The three regional hospitals in Iasi , Cluj and Craiova will mean a step forward for the Romanian health system”.
The Romanian Minister of Health Alexandru Rafila says that currently there are many ongoing projects in the health system financed by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, as well as from other sources.
Alexandru Rafila: “All these projects are not blocked, they are ongoing, and Romania currently has a rapidly developing hospital infrastructure. We want these things to be completed and patients in Romania to have access to health services”.
By making investments, Romania has moved to a new paradigm, said the Minister of European Funds, Adrian Câciu. He has stated that, in total, seven billion euros are available for investments in health. The interdisciplinary medical unit that will be built in Craiova represents an investment of over two billion euros and will serve the counties of Dolj, Olt, Gorj, Mehedinţi and Vâlcea, all located in the Oltenia region, in the southwest of Romania.
As soon as the mammoth medical units in Iasi, Cluj and Craiova have been completed, the Executive will face the reality of the lack of medical personnel. Although their salaries have increased since 2018 by around 80%, many still leave for Western European countries and deepen the shortage. According to the Administration of Hospitals and Medical Services in Bucharest, Romania currently has a shortage of 15,000 doctors. (MI)
