The Romanian Healthcare System
The Romanian government is trying to defuse the conflict with the healthcare trade unions in an attempt to avoid the all-out strike they announced.
Ştefan Stoica, 19.11.2013, 13:09
Romanians know from their own experience or from others’ experience that as a patient in Romania you need to procure yourself the medication prescribed during hospitalization. This is an unfair practice since the Romanian citizens have to contribute monthly to the health insurance system. The president of the National Health Insurance House, Cristian Busoi, says that tough measures will be taken against the hospitals that send their patients to buy their own medication and sanitary materials or the labs that ask money for the free-of-charge tests for which they subsequently ask for a refund from the Health Insurance House. He added that sanctions would be as tough as terminating the contract these labs concluded with the House.
“We have 1503 providers of para-clinical medical investigations that have contracts with the Health Insurance House. I would like to suggest stipulating in next year’s framework contract the termination of contracts with those providers that commit irregularities. I can guarantee that any lab in Romania that does not have a contract with the Insurance House will not be able to survive competition on the competition market”.
Cristian Busoi has also drawn the attention of hospital managers to manage funds carefully so as to avoid such situations when patients buy their own medication while in hospital.
On the other hand, the Romanian health care system is threatened by an all-out strike announced by the healthcare system employees for November 28th. The Healthcare Ministry and the trade unions have failed to reach an agreement that could prevent the strike, and therefore negotiations continue. The healthcare system employees are asking for the allocation of at least 6% of the GDP for the healthcare sector, for laws that should guarantee the professional independence of those who work in the public and private systems and for a specific salary law in the healthcare system.
They are also asking for the authorities to stop discrediting professionals in the field, for the re-organization of the public medical units so as to provide prompt and quality services to patients and for consultations with the Healthcare Professionals Coalition regarding any measure that could affect the functioning of the system.
