Private entrepreneurs continue healthcare sector investments; state is slower to progress

Moving hospitals under the management of local authorities and introducing a maximum payment of 600 RON per year (co-payment) for medical services could create the premises for investments in these public facilities, which are currently suffering from a lack of funding. The opposite is true of the private sector, which is seeing a major expansion this year, announcing plans for new hospitals, clinics and the opening of drugstores.
“Co-payment will bring order into the system and contribute to boosting revenues of health care service providers,” says Cristian Irimie, Secretary of State in the Health Ministry, attending the “How much should the state invest in Healthcare and where should private investors step in?” event organised by Ziarul Financiar in partnership with Medlife, BRD Sogelease, TotalSoft, and Oxigen Plus.
Almost 5 billion euros are in circulation in the healthcare system (the cumulated budgets of the National Health Insurance House and of the Health Ministry), with the biggest funds going to hospitals.
In addition to co-payment, other measures considered are a prospective raising of the contribution paid by the employee and the employer for healthcare, and cutting the number of hospital beds.
“The system lives thanks to money pooled from 4.9 million contributors to the fund, but we have another 10 million insured who do not pay the contribution. A further 5 million do not pay, so the health insurance fund, which accounts for 90% of a hospital’s budget, has become insufficient,” said Cristian Irimie, State Secretary with the Health Ministry.