Romanian public hospitals, in a critical state
2 reports by the Department for Emergency Situations found multiple irregularities in terms of fire safety in hospitals
Eugen Coroianu, 01.02.2021, 14:00
Nearly 4,000 violations of fire safety regulations were found in the inspections conducted last year in around 500 public hospitals in Romania. The data is included in a report of the Department for Emergency Situations dated December 2020, and forwarded to the health minister at the time. A similar number of irregularities had been found the year before, in 2019, according to another report.
The documents list, among the most important deficiencies, the operation of hospitals without a fire safety permit, the lack of fire detection, signalling and alarm equipment in hospitals or their improper operation, the failure to properly organise fire defence activities, particularly as regards the evacuation of users, and the low capability to rescue patients who are unable to move on their own, particularly because of the lack of healthcare personnel especially on night shifts.
As many as 130 intensive care units do not have a permit from the fire department, and many hospitals operate without fire extinguishers or hydrants, the document details. Moreover, electrical equipment is used which is malfunctioning, inadequately maintained or overburdened by an excessive number of users.
Hundreds of fines have been issued, as well as thousands of warnings, and alarm/evacuation and first intervention drills have been conducted.
The reports were made public by the Health Ministry on Sunday, following last weeks fire at the Matei Balș Institute in Bucharest, which came after a similar one that occurred in November at the County Hospital in Piatra Neamţ (north-east). In both cases, Covid-19 patients in the ICU died and were injured.
The incumbent health minister Vlad Voiculescu says the healthcare infrastructure in Romania has steadily deteriorated over the past years, and new hospitals are long overdue. He also mentioned that COVID 19 units are still working at full capacity, which is why electrical and gas supply networks cannot be replaced at the moment, even though the presence of oxygen systems for medical use is a risk factor.
Voiculescu promised that in 3 years time, foundations will have been laid for regional hospitals in Craiova (south), Iaşi (north-east) and Cluj (north-west), but added that new hospitals also need to be built in Bucharest and in other cities. The official announced a National Fund would be set up, for healthcare infrastructure funding. The fund, which will focus on patient safety, will be financed from the state budget and EU sources, and will enable hospitals to make urgent investments related to fire safety, earthquake protection and the prevention of in-hospital infections. (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)
