Radio România Internațional

Tag: family doctors

  • The problems of the medical system

    The problems of the medical system

    The Romanians, who conscientiously pay their health insurance contributions, hope to benefit in return from at least partially free-of-charge consultations, treatment and medicine, and quality medical services. In reality, however, this has not been the case for a good many years. Amid chronic problems caused by the under-funding of the healthcare system and an acute shortage of medical staff, on the very first day of the year, almost 2,000 family doctors refused to sign contracts with the health insurance houses, leaving almost 4 million people unable to benefit from free and subsidised medicines and referrals to consultants. The doctors who have resorted to this form of protest demand the elimination of red tape in the medical system and more funds for primary care medicine.



    The health ministry is also faced with an illegal anti-vaccination campaign carried out across the country. Public health directorates have been asked to inspect the billboards carrying messages against vaccination, despite the fact that vaccination saves almost 3 million lives every year. The measles epidemic Romania is currently faced with must be a wake-up call for everybody, including doctors, the authorities and parents, but these messages are an attack on children’s health, says the health minister Florian Bodog.



    Florian Bodog: “Putting up a billboard with the message that vaccination is unsafe is, in my opinion, a crime, apart from being illegal. I believe responsible parents must protect their children. Just as they make sure their children get baptised, regardless of their religion, so they should also make sure their children get vaccinated.”



    In other bad news, a reputed Romanian surgeon specialising in kidney transplant, Mihai Lucan, and who is suspected of embezzlement and creating an organised crime group, is under investigation for causing 1 million euros worth of damage to the state. He is believed to have illegally transferred to his private clinic medical equipment that belonged to the Renal Institute in Cluj Napoca, in the northwest. More than 150 patients were reportedly sent from the public hospital to the surgeon’s private clinic, where the cost of surgery varies between 3,000 and 6,000 euros.



    Here is MP Emanuel Ungureanu from the Save Romania Union who denounced the practices of doctor Lucan: “We are discovering these days that the country we live in is run by mafia-type groups that include doctors, prosecutors, judges, people from the Romanian Intelligence Service with the complicity of other doctors who know, for example, that in hundreds of clinics around Romania, the patients are channelled away from state hospitals to private clinics. Sick people are robbed of their money and then sent back to state hospitals, where the state is then robbed.”



    The health minister Florian Bodog and the mayor of Cluj Napoca Emil Boc have been called in for questioning in connection to the Mihai Lucan case.

  • January 3, 2018

    January 3, 2018

    Budget — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday promulgated the state budget and the social security budget laws for 2018. However, he pointed to the laws’ vulnerabilities and to the challenges posed by the current fiscal and budget framework, given that Romania needs a credible and balanced budget that should consistently observe the fundamental objectives of macroeconomic stability, predictability and fiscal and budgetary sustainability. The 2018 budget is based on a 5.5% economic growth rate, an average annual inflation rate of 3.1%, an average currency exchange rate of 4.55 lei for one Euro and an average net monthly salary of 565 Euros. The budget deficit is estimated at 2.97% of the GDP, thus observing the under 3% target.



    Family doctors — Family doctors in Romania who did not sign articles of amendment for extending the contracts with the National Health Insurance House can no longer issue free or reduced cost prescriptions or referral letters as of Wednesday. They announced they would carry on with their protests and would not sign the articles of amendment. They are discontented with the funds they received and with the fact that the state does nothing to cut down on red tape in the system. Thus patients will have to pay for their medication and in some cases even for the medical checkups, if they are not provided pro bono. The doctors’ decision was announced in the context of discontent generated by the promises unmet by the government, promises that they had made in November in the wake of street protests. More than 60% of the family doctors in Romania signed the articles of amendment to the framework contract, the representatives of the National Health Insurance House have announced.



    Chisinau — In the Republic of Moldova, the speaker of Parliament, with pro-western views, Andrian Candu, will take over the interim presidency from the pro-Russian president Igor Dodon, to sign the decree for appointing 7 new ministers. The announcement was made by the Parliament’s press office, after the Constitutional Court decided that the pro-Russian president Igor Dodon could be suspended again, following his repeated refusal to promulgate the government reshuffles. Radio Romania’s correspondents to Chisinau say this measure was already applied last October in the case of the appointment of the defense minister, Eugen Sturza. The PM Pavel Filip announced the change of 7 of the 13 members of the government with the avowed purpose of boosting reforms. Among the nominees are also two former prime ministers, Iurie Leancă, proposed as deputy prime minister for European integration and Chiril Gaburici, who is to take over the Economy portfolio.



    Tennis — World’s no. 1 player, Simona Halep, on Wednesday defeated the Chinese Ying-Ying Duan (91 WTA), 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 and made it to the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament hosted by Shenzen, China, which has prizes up for grabs totaling almost 630 thousand dollars. Thus Simona Halep maintains the 1st place in the WTA ranking. Another Romanian player, Irina Begu (43 WTA) also qualified to the quarterfinals after defeating Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova (96 WTA), 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. Romania’s 3rd representative in the tournament Ana Bogdan (105 WTA) will take on today the Czech player Kristyna Pliskova in an eighth finals match. In the doubles, the pair made up of Irina Begu and Simona Halep on Tuesday qualified to the semifinals after a dramatic match against another Romanian pair made up of Mihaela Buzarnescu/ Irina Bara.



    Teheran — Tens of thousands of regime supporters on Wednesday gathered in the Iranian cities to condemn what they call the ‘unrest’ facing the country. The demonstrators waved Iranian flags and signs supporting Iran’s clerically overseen government and protested against the US, Israel and the internal enemies of the Islamic Republic. For almost a week Iran has seen protests against economic austerity and the corruption of politicians. The police arrested hundreds of people and over 20 died in the clashes between the police and the protesters. The US labeled as ‘nonsense’ Teheran’s accusation that Iran’s enemies were behind the wave of violent protests that occurred in the country. The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, announced the US wanted to call for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the issue of Iran. Previously President Donald Trump had warned the regime in Teheran that Washington would monitor any infringement of human rights in that country. He also added that the Iranian people could no longer accept that the country’s money be wasted on funding terrorism. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • April 3, 2016

    April 3, 2016

    ANNIVERSARY – Romania is today celebrating 12 years since it became a full-fledged member of the North Atlantic Alliance. On this occasion, the Romanian Defence Ministry headquarters are opened to the public and visitors are invited to attend a military ceremony devoted to Romanias joining NATO. A weapons handling exercise will be organised for the public and various themed exhibitions will also be mounted. NATO accession is one of the most remarkable successes of Romanias contemporary foreign policy, President Klaus Iohannis said in a message conveyed on this occasion. Romania, to which NATOs increasing relevance and efficiency as a fundamental pillar of Euro-Atlantic security is a major goal, capitalises on its well-defined strategic profile and actively contributes to NATOs missions and operations, the president also said.



    PROTEST – The protest by family physicians will continue in Romania on Monday. They warn they will not issue prescriptions, nor referrals to specialists, just like Friday. Some of the family doctors have announced they will not make free of charge medical check-ups, either. The situation is generated by the delayed signing of this years framework agreement and by the fact that the document does not provide for optimal funding for basic medical assistance. Doctors state their refusal to retroactively sign contracts, as has happened so far, the more so as in some cases they had to pay for the prescribed medication. They warn to go on a token strike in the following days, if their requests are not met. Last week, family doctors picketed the Health Ministry headquarters



    BRUSSELS– The Zaventem airport, the largest in Brussels, is being partially reopened today, approximately two weeks since the attacks that made scores of victims and reduced to rubble the entrance to the departures terminal. The resumption of flights is possible after the airport police officers trade unions reached an agreement with the government. The trade unionists threatened to go on strike in the absence of additional security measures in the wake of the attacks. All passengers will now be thoroughly checked before entering the airport building, and only passengers with tickets and IDs will be allowed access in the check-in hall. Also, the luggage will be checked before being brought into the building. Furthermore, the airport will no longer be connected to the city by common transportation means. Access will be possible only by taxis and personal cars. Over 23 million people transit the Zaventem airport every year. The airports closure following the March 22 attacks incurred daily losses of 5 million Euros.



    CONFLICT-The heaviest clashes in the past 20 years started in the Caucasian region of Nagorno-Karabach, leaving over 30 people dead so far. The two sides point an accusatory finger to each other for the start of violence. Russian president Vladimir Putin has expressed deep concern about the situation and launched an appeal to the two sides to immediately halt the hostilities. The resumption of clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh will be high on the agenda of next weeks meeting of the OSCEs Minsk group for solving the separatist conflict in the region, a group co-chaired by Russia, the United States and France. Since the late 1980s, Azerbaijan and Armenia have fought for the region of Nagorno-Karabah, with a predominantly Armenian population, but annexed to Azerbaijan. The area was the stage of a war, which killed over 30,000 people and left hundreds of thousands destitute, between 1988 and 1994.



    NAVAL EXERCISE – Three warships belonging to the Turkish Fleet, which are taking part in a naval exercise in the Black Sea, are today arriving in the port of Constanta. According to Radio Romanias correspondent, the Turkish commander will meet with representatives of the Romanian Naval Forces and the local authorities. The Turkish military, who will stay in Constanta until Monday, will visit the Romanian Navy Museum and other tourist objectives in the region. Also, a cooperation protocol will be signed between Turkish and Romanian firms active in the defence industry.



    SPORTS – The womens volleyball team CSM Bucharest is today meeting, away from home, the Turkish team Trabzon Idman Ocagi, in the second round of the Challenge Cup finals. On Wednesday, the Romanian volleyball players secured a 3-1 win, on home turf, in the first round of the finals. So, they will need only two sets to grab the trophy, the first in the history of Romanian womens volleyball. In the last but one round of the competition, CSM, led by an Italian coach, secured a double victory against another representative of Turkey, Bursa BBSK, the defending holder of the trophy. It is for the first time that a Romanian womens volleyball team plays a European cup final.


    (Translated by Diana Vijeu)