Radio România Internațional

Tag: healthcare

  • The Future of Healthcare in Romania

    The Future of Healthcare in Romania

     

    The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that up-to-date health-related data is a critical instrument in effective public health measures and responding to crises. Moreover, the pandemic brought about a massive acceleration in the adoption of digital tools, but, as stakeholders argue, complex obstacles persist that make it difficult for the full potential of digital health data to be achieved.

     

    The European Health Data Space, a key pillar of a strong EU healthcare system, is designed to overcome these obstacles. It is a framework for the exchange of specific health-related data, which establishes clear rules, common standards and practices, digital infrastructures and a governance framework for the use of electronic health data by patients and for research, innovation, policy-making, patient safety, statistics or regulatory purposes. Cristina Berteanu, Ph.D. medical sciences:

     

    Cristina Berteanu: “It is the first European data space that begins with healthcare and completely changes the paradigm, in the sense that the patient has priority over data ownership and can connect with other patients from the member states, but also with doctors in Romania and in all the other member states. Secondly, access to such data by researchers or by policy-makers is very well defined within a legal framework, which has rules for data access. It will bring important progress in discovering new molecules, in creating strategies and public policies, including prevention and customised medicine, because with access to anonymised data, targeted treatments can be created much more precisely and much more easily. Work is already underway on this European data space that will have to be operational as of 2025. This requires significant digitisation in all member states and we hope that we are making progress considering that 207 hospitals in Romania have access to funds for digitisation under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.”

     

    In addition to patients being able to access and share this data more easily, while retaining greater control over it, healthcare professionals will be able to do their job more easily and effectively. Thanks to improved interoperability, they will be able to access a patient’s medical history, thus broadening the set of information relevant to treatment and diagnostic decisions, including when patient data is located in another EU member country.

     

    Also, by supporting the exchange of data between healthcare providers within countries and across borders, healthcare providers will avoid the duplication of tests, with positive effects for patients and healthcare costs. Researchers will have access to larger amounts of representative and high-quality data and will be able to access data in a more efficient and less expensive way, through a data access platform that guarantees patient data confidentiality.

     

    Regulators and decision-makers will also have easier access to healthcare data for more effective policy-making and better operation of evidence-based healthcare systems. This, Brussels says, will lead to better access to healthcare, reduce costs, increase efficiency, strengthen research and innovation and help build more resilient healthcare systems.

     

    Electronic patient records, smart hospitals, the concept of Big Data and the use of artificial intelligence are part of the medicine of the future. And some of them are already present in Romania. The first smart hospital in Romania, a pilot project that will help digitise the entire healthcare system, will be opened in Târgu Mureș. But what does a smart hospital entail? Cristina Berteanu:

     

    Cristina Berteanu: “The use of electronic patient records, telemedicine, cybersecurity, the use of robots in surgery. Also, the use of virtual reality in training medical staff and doctors, as well as Big Data and the development of AI algorithms to use this concept as best we can in various areas of prevention, healthcare strategy, to ensure the quality, precision and speed with which test results are given”.

     

    In Romania, revolutionary technologies and artificial intelligence are already used in many fields, starting with radiology, imaging, radiotherapy, and data collection. The new technologies that are already used in Romanian healthcare help in early diagnosis, in creating personalised treatment plans and in the molecular characterisation of tumors, especially when we talk about cancer, doctor Cristina Berteanu also explained. (AMP)

  • March 11, 2024 UPDATE

    March 11, 2024 UPDATE

    Elections – The Romanian government adopted on Monday, in an extraordinary meeting, a decision that establishes the calendar of the combined elections of June 9, 2024. According to the emergency ordinance on holding the two elections simultaneously, recently adopted by the executive, the local officials will be able to run on behalf of another political party if they announce that 45 days before the date of the elections. The document is criticized by the opposition. The United Right Alliance requested the Ombudsman to notify the Constitutional Court in relation to the emergency ordinance on merging the European Parliament elections with the local ones. The representatives of the Alliance state that they have identified provisions in the law adopted on Friday that violate both the Constitution and some previous decisions of the Court.

     

    Protests – The employees of the Romanian healthcare system protested, on Monday, in front of the headquarters of the Government, the Labor Ministry, the Health Ministry and the Parliament, the main dissatisfaction being related to salary incomes. Several thousand trade unionists, members of the Sanitary Solidarity Federation, participated. People continue to be dissatisfied, although the Government approved, last week, an increase in the healthcare staff’s salaries by 20% in two equal installments, in March and June. The trade union representatives believe that the increase is insufficient and state that the extra amounts do not cover the inflation rate. Moreover, they claim that the government’s emergency ordinance does not include any provision regarding increases or the hourly rate of on-call services.

     

    Tennis – After a year and a half break, the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will return to the tennis courts, the former world leader leaving, this morning, for Miami. The athlete has not played an official match since August 2022 and will now make her debut at the WTA 1000 tournament in the USA (March 17-31). Outside the WTA ranking, Halep received a wildcard from the organizers, an invitation that allows her to be on the main draw of the tournament. We remind you that Simona Halep received the right to return to the tennis court after the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne has recently reduced her suspension for doping from 4 years to 9 months. The athlete managed to prove that the doping substance she unintentionally ingested came from a contaminated food supplement.

     

    Partnership – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, on Monday had a telephone conversation with her Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, in the context of the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and Japan. The economic, sectoral and cultural projects were reviewed and their development opportunities were highlighted. Starting from the interdependence of security situations, the two ministers addressed the latest developments regarding Europe and the Indo-Pacific area. Both sides highlighted Romania’s and Japan’s firm support for Ukraine and each country’s contribution to the effort to mitigate the multiple negative effects of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including on its neighbors.

     

    Moldova – The Constitutional Court in Chişinău decided on Monday that the phrase “Romanian language” should remain in all the legislation of the Republic of Moldova, including the Constitution, the magistrates rejecting a notification submitted by socialist and communist deputies, Radio Chişinău reports. At the end of March last year, the deputies of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BCS) submitted a notification to the Constitutional Court requesting the verification of the constitutionality of the decision to change the name of the state language, from Moldovan to Romanian, in all the legislation of the Republic of Moldova, including in the Constitution. The main argument of the authors of the complaint was that the parliamentary group of the ruling Action and Solidarity party changed the Constitution with the votes of a simple majority of deputies, and not with two-thirds of the votes. The respective bill was voted by the Moldovan Parliament in the final reading last year, and the president Maia Sandu promulgated the law.

     

    NATO – Romania firmly supports the Open Door Policy of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, and “Sweden’s accession proves that NATO’s door remains open and that together we are stronger”, said the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr. On Monday, the ceremony of raising the flags of Sweden, Romania and NATO took place at the Romanian Defense Ministry headquarters, on the occasion of Sweden’s entry into the North Atlantic Alliance, in the presence of the minister and the ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Romania, Therese Hyden. According to a press release, during the ceremony, Angel Tîlvăr declared that Sweden, as a NATO member, will equally contribute both to the development of the Alliance policies and decisions and to the consolidation of allied forces. In turn, Therese Hyden stated that with Sweden’s joining NATO, the North Atlantic Alliance will be stronger and Sweden will be safer.

     

    EC – Romania received, on Monday, 642 million Euros from the European Commission for the Just Transition Platform – FTJ STEP, representing a single exceptional pre-financing within the ‘Strategic Technologies for Europe’ (STEP) platform – the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Adrian Hat announced. The platform will support the development of European industry and the stimulation of investments in critical technologies in Europe. According to the minister, at present, Romania has received sums worth 1.23 billion Euros within the Cohesion Policy 2021 – 2027, and by the end of this year, it will have in its accounts at least 5 billion Euros from the new Cohesion Policy. (LS)

  • February 22, 2024 UPDATE

    February 22, 2024 UPDATE

    ELECTIONS The United Right Alliance in opposition says it will challenge in court the move by the ruling coalition formed by the Social Democrats and the Liberals to merge local and European elections. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians, also in opposition, has described the decision to merge elections as illegal and unconstitutional. The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciucă, respectively, on Wednesday evening announced local elections and the national ballot for the European Parliament would be held on the same date in June. The two parties are to form an election alliance and run on joint lists in the European elections, but on separate lists in the local elections. The presidential elections are to be held in September and the parliamentary elections in December.

     

    HEALTHCARE The PM of Romania Marcel Ciolacu Thursday announced new hirings to fill over 2,200 vacancies in the healthcare and social assistance sectors. He also said the government intended to recruit almost 10,000 physicians, nurses and other healthcare personnel in hospitals this year, after procedures to fill another 7,600 vacancies received the green light last month. Ciolacu said this meant better services for patients, as well as less pressure on current hospital staff. The Romanian public healthcare system is struggling with severe personnel shortages, a situation reported both by doctors, and by patients.

     

    UKRAINE Ukraine must stay united and win the war started by Russia, Ukraine’s ambassador to Bucharest Ihor Prokopchuk said at a round table organised by the embassy. He believes the sanctions against Russia were effective, but they need to be even more effective in order to further reduce the financial resources that enable Russia to carry on the war. The diplomat also mentioned that Russia’s aggression on his country started 10 years ago. According to Prokopchuk, Russia’s current large-scale invasion is accompanied by a blatant violation of international law, the destruction of cities and many victims among civilians. Ihor Prokopchuk voiced confidence that Ukraine would win the war, and spoke about his people’s courage and heroism in withstanding the invasion and thwarting Russia’s plans to separate the country from Europe. The Ukrainian ambassador thanked Romania and the other international partners for their political, military and financial support, as well as for the sanctions against Moscow, and said he was hoping this support would continue until Ukraine won the war.

     

    ENVIRONMENT The Romanian Black Sea coastline gained 23 hectares of beach this year in the resorts of Eforie and Agigea, following works to reduce coastal erosion and expand the beachfront. According to the environment minister Mircea Fechet, this not only benefits the environment, but also the economic and tourist activities in the area. He says legal solutions are being searched for to allow businesses to rent sections of the beach for at least 10 years, as opposed to 2 years at present. The minister believes this will make business activity more stable and predictable and drive prices of tourist services down.

     

    TABLE TENNIS Romania’s women’s team was defeated by Japan, 3-0, on Thursday, in the quarter-finals of the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan (South Korea). On Wednesday, Romania qualified for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, thanks to a 3-0 win against Egypt in the eighth-finals.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea qualified into the semi-finals of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Dubai, after a spectacular win on Thursday against the defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. Cîrstea (33, 22 WTA) defeated Vondrousova in 2 hours and 41 minutes, after saving 6 match points. (AMP)

  • February 6, 2024 UPDATE

    February 6, 2024 UPDATE


    MOLDOVA Romania will continue to support the Republic of Moldova in its EU accession negotiations, PM Marcel Ciolacu said in a meeting with Moldovas new foreign minister Mihai Popşoi. The latter also had talks in Bucharest with his Romanian counterpart Luminiţa Odobescu, as part of his first foreign visit since taking over the office. The agenda of the talks included, apart from Moldovas EU accession, topics related to energy interconnection and security. “Moldovas reform efforts are visible and appreciated. The authorities in Chişinău proved courage and political determination in tackling reforms in critical areas for the EU integration,” Odobescu said. The Moldovan foreign minister promised the two countries will preserve an active relationship. “The past 2 years were a major challenge for Moldova, but also an opportunity for a positive transformation, towards EU integration. In this process, we benefited from massive assistance from Romania in the development, modernisation and resilience of our state. We appreciate this strong and steady support,” Popsoi added.



    HEALTH Healthcare trade unions have been promised a 15% salary increase, which will add to the 5% increase applied to public sector employees at the start of the year. After extensive negotiations with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the leaders of the Sanitas Federation said salaries will increase in two stages, in March and June, although it is unclear which categories of personnel will benefit from the increase and when. Talks with the authorities will continue, trade unions say. Representatives of the Sanitary Solidarity Federation are disgruntled with the governments latest counteroffer, the Federation leader Viorel Rotilă argues, adding that the increase will only affect base salaries, meaning health workers salaries, which also include bonuses, are expected to increase by a little over 14%. Protest actions will thus continue, Viorel Rotilă went on to say.



    MILITARY Reintroducing compulsory military service is out of the question, but the defence ministry is interested in regulating voluntary military service, the defence minister Angel Tîlvăr told a television station. He said the Romanian Army has seen its forces reduced from 320,000 to 80,000 troops. Tîlvăr emphasised that there are no risks of Romania going to war. Meanwhile, MPs in the defence, public order and national security committees discussed with Tîlvăr on Tuesday about the security situation at the Black Sea. Special attention was paid to the need to bring the Army procurement programmes in line with the national defence industrys needs for development and consolidation of its production facilities. Another topic was the legislation in the defence sector.



    INTERNET Several Romanian lawyers warn that the national legislation must be adjusted in order to tackle online crime, and say children in particular are vulnerable. Experts say the best ways to protect from online scams are to not access links from unknown sources, not to disclose personal and banking data on unauthorised platforms and not click posts promising various immediate substantial profits. The International Safer Internet Day was marked on Tuesday in around 200 countries, at a time when more and more people are victims of cybercrime.



    TENNIS Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea has advanced to the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi (UAE), offering over 920 thousand USD in total prizes. This was the first win of the year for Cîrstea (26 WTA), who ousted Caroline Garcia of France, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. The Romanian player will next take on third-seed Maria Sakkari of Greece (9 WTA). Cîrstea leads 2-1 head-to-head, the Greek player having won the last match 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the second round at Cincinnati. (AMP, VP)


  • Talks with healthcare trade unions

    Talks with healthcare trade unions


    Amid
    discontent related mainly to their salaries, different categories of
    employees, including healthcare workers, have staged protests in
    Romania in recent weeks. The representatives of the Sanitas and
    Solidaritatea Sanitară trade union federations held a number of
    talks with government officials, presenting them with their demands
    related to salaries and staff shortages. The vice-president of
    Sanitas, Răzvan Gae, explains in a social media post:







    Everyone
    is unhappy because benefits haven’t changed
    since 2018 for some categories, or even since 2010 or 2012 for
    others, and the healthcare system is faced with an acute shortage of
    staff, including nurses, paramedics, administrative staff, etc.
    Fortunately, the new salary scheme has brought the salaries of
    primary care physicians and consultant physicians to the level where
    they should be, but the rest… A first-year resident doctor doesn’t
    earn more than 3,500 lei and a fourth-year resident around 4,700 lei,
    including for duty hours, while a staff nurse in an outpatient
    facility earns around 2,400-2,500 lei and a nurse working in the
    surgery ward of a big hospital doesn’t earn more than 3,800 lei.







    During
    a new round of talks on Monday with prime minister Marcel Ciolacu,
    trade union leaders, who requested a 20% pay rise, secured the
    promise of 15%, apart from the 5% indexation earlier this year. They
    agreed that the rise should be granted in two stages: 10% in March
    and another 5% in June.







    It
    is not clear how this increase will be distributed. In a first
    reaction after the talks, the representatives of Sanitas said they
    did not have all the figures about the number of people working in
    the healthcare sector and were collecting them, which would allow
    them to establish how big the rise is. Once they have these figures,
    they will decide whether to continue with the protest action. On the
    other hand, the representatives of Solidaritatea Sanitară said
    salaries would not in effect go up by 20% as the government claims,
    but less, because the increase applies to the base salary, excepting
    benefits, so the rise is in fact at almost 14%. They plan to
    continue negotiations with the government, as well as protests,
    including a rally outside the government headquarters on 11th
    March, after which they will decide whether to go on a general
    strike, depending on how many employees are in favour of this move. (CM)

  • February 3, 2024 UPDATE

    February 3, 2024 UPDATE

    AGREEMENT The PM
    of Romania Marcel Ciolacu and the representatives of farmers and carriers
    Friday reached an agreement ending the recent protests. On Monday, the PM’s
    office will set up an inter-ministry committee tasked with identifying the best
    solutions for the protesters’ demands. Farmers and carriers in Romania
    protested for 3 weeks against high business costs, low prices for produce, the
    import of cheap foodstuffs from Ukraine and the constraints introduced by the
    EU as part of its climate change action.


    COMMEMORATION A
    ceremony commemorating the prominent politician Iuliu Maniu, a former prime
    minister of Romania and leader of the National Christian-Democratic Party, was
    held on Saturday at the Memorial for the victims of communism in Sighetu
    Marmaţiei (north-west). Maniu died on the night of February 4 1953, in the political
    prison in Sighet, where he was serving a life sentence for high treason
    pronounced by the communist regime. His name was cleared under a Supreme Court
    ruling in 1998, and a monument was erected in his honour in the Revolution
    Square in Bucharest.


    MOLDOVA Chişinău
    extended an entry ban against the leader of the Romanian nationalist party AUR,
    George Simion, by another 5 years. Under Moldova’s legislation, foreigners may
    be declared undesirables if they have or if there are strong reasons to believe
    they intend to conduct activities likely to endanger the country’s national
    security or public order. According to the R. of Moldova, the Romanian
    authorities have been notified in this respect, and George Simion challenged
    the decision in court. The AUR leader was expelled from Moldova in 2018, with
    an entry ban in place for a period of 5 years.


    HEALTHCARE Trade
    unions in the healthcare sector have new talks scheduled next week with the
    Romanian authorities in the context of the recent protests. The vice-president
    of the Ambulanţa Trade Union Federation, Magyary Arpad, had a meeting on
    Friday with the healthcare minister, Alexandru Rafila, but failed to reach an
    agreement on salaries, equipment and the personnel shortage in the system.
    Arpad voiced optimism with respect to a 20% pay raise deal, but said he was not
    sure the measure would cover all healthcare personnel and whether it would be
    implemented in full or in several instalments. He said the talks also concerned
    the procurement of ambulance vehicles, office revamping and changes in the
    legislation. Trade unions in healthcare initiated nation-wide protests in
    November 2022, but suspended them until after next week’s meeting with PM
    Marcel Ciolacu. Talks will also be held in the coming days with the Sanitas trade
    union federation, which has its own salary demands for several categories of
    healthcare personnel.


    ALERT
    Healthcare units in Romania are implementing additional measures after a state
    of epidemiological alert was declared due to the growing number of respiratory
    infections and flu cases. Special attention is given to the health of hospital
    personnel and to the protection equipment, and visiting hours have been reduced.
    Visitor access is denied in ICUs, neonatology and pediatrics departments,
    coronary care units, oncology and hematology units, and in infectious disease
    units. In other hospital departments, no more than 2 visitors will be allowed
    at the same time in a room, and individual protection equipment will be
    compulsory.


    MIDDLE EAST The
    US conducted scores of air raids against targets operated by Iran-controlled
    groups in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon said the raids were a response to the
    recent drone attack by Iran-supported fighters, which killed 3 US troops at a
    military base in Jordan, the BBC reports. Taking part in Friday’s raids were B1
    long-range bombers, flying out of the US. Iran condemned the strikes, claiming
    they violated the sovereignty of Syria and Iraq, AFP reports. In Bagdad, a
    government spokesman announced the US strikes in western Iraq killed at least
    16 people, including civilians. Meanwhile, the US state secretary Antony
    Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank
    between February 4 and 8, primarily to reach a deal securing the freeing of all
    the Israeli hostages kept in Gaza following the Hamas terror attack of October
    7. (AMP)

  • The government has unlocked vacancy-filling contests in the healthcare syst

    The government has unlocked vacancy-filling contests in the healthcare syst

    Employment in the medical system was unlocked by the Romanian Government, following several requests in this sense. One of the requests came from the College of Physicians in Bucharest, which called on the Finance Ministry to approve the memorandum submitted by the Health Ministry for the hospitals under its authority, as well as the one submitted by the Development Ministry for the units subordinated to the local authorities. The College, which pointed out that difficult situations are encountered during this period, especially in the Emergency Rooms, due to the insufficient number of doctors, recalled that employment in the public system, including in the public healthcare system, was frozen in the middle of last year. The college drew attention that the lack of staff in hospitals means the exhaustion of the existing one, who have to often work overtime, which can lead, in addition to physical fatigue, to diminishing the quality of the medical services provided to patients or to delays in providing medical assistance.



    Thus, in the context of intense pressure from the healthcare system, the government decided to organize contests to fill more than 7,600 vacancies in medical units with staff shortages. 2,500 of the posts are for doctors. The healthcare units that requested the organization of vacancy-filling contests need to immediately start the necessary procedures. The social-democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu underlined that the budget of the Health Ministry is 40% higher than last year, highlighting that each vacancy filled must be reflected in better services for patients. He stated that 6.6 billion lei (about 1.3 billion euros) have already been allocated, which paid off last year’s debts from the healthcare system and ensured the current expenses for this month for medicines and medical services.



    In turn, the Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, pointed out that all doctors posts that were requested by health units were approved, regardless of whether they are subordinated to the Health Ministry or the local authorities. Moreover, within the Memorandum proposed by the Health Ministry, over 365 posts of those approved for vacancy-filling contests are within the ambulance services, given the importance of emergency medicine and the interventions that must be carried out during this period to various calls. Alexandru Rafila asked the healthcare units not to wait too long and to immediately initiate the legal procedures for organizing vacancy-filling contests. He added that, after publication, the contests can be organized within 30 days. The Hleath Minister also said that, at the level of the Government, the discussions will continue and, depending on the needs, other memoranda of approval may be initiated during this year. (LS)

  • Measures for the medical system

    Measures for the medical system

    The healthcare domain is one of the major dissatisfactions of Romanians, as shown by all opinion polls. Suffocating bureaucracy, old hospitals, doctors offices without basic equipment, corrupt physicians who condition the medical act on bribe, rigged contests for filling managerial positions and purchases at inflated prices. Nothing is missing from the range of comorbidities of the healthcare system in Romania. Moreover, the system has been faced with a lack of personnel for a long time. Although, in recent years, Romanian doctors have received salaries comparable to those in Western Europe, many continue to leave the country, while in the Romanian countryside, many communes do not have doctors, and in the cities that have hospitals there is not enough medical personnel.



    This week, the manager of the Dr. Victor Gomoiu Clinical Children’s Hospital in Bucharest, Maria Enescu, has publicly drawn attention to the difficult situation in the medical unit’s on-call room, given that, she says, there is an acute lack of staff, and the nurses are exhausted. The shortage of personnel, the people in the system say, was worsened by the authorities decision to block the tender for positions in state institutions, a measure from a larger package, decided by the governing coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party – PSD and the National Liberal Party – PNL with the avowed intention to reduce the budget deficit. But, the press notes, in a year marked by European parliament, local, legislative and presidential elections, politicians are good at sweetening the bitter pill that they have prescribed themselves.



    The Social Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday that a priority of his government team is to rapidly solve the issue of resident doctors who passed the specialty exam at the end of last year. There are approximately 4,500 doctors in whom the Romanian state has invested hundreds of millions of euros, and we must make sure that we keep them in the country. That is why, in the next period, the Health Ministry and the Development Ministry must update the lists of vacant positions and present the Government with new memoranda for tender for positions. I also ask the Finance Ministry to cooperate to make things happen quicker said the Prime Minister, at the beginning of the first Government meeting of 2024.



    The memoranda initiated by the two ministries regarding the tendering for vacancies in the healthcare system could be approved next week, the Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, a party colleague of the PM announced also on Thursday. Thus, each health unit will be able to organize contests to fill vacant doctor or nurse positions. From the opposition, Save Romania Union – USR claims that there is a deficit of over 20,000 nurses and auxiliary medical personnel and of about 8,000 doctors, across Romania. (LS)


  • November 3, 2023

    November 3, 2023


    STRIKE Romanian public health insurance personnel have suspended relations with the public indefinitely, because their salaries have not been increased for over 6 years. The protest disrupts services to patients and it might jeopardise the disbursement of expenses incurred by healthcare service providers, the head of the National Trade Union Bloc Dumitru Costin explained. He said the National Health Insurance Agencys budget can cover the requested pay raises, but that the measure must be endorsed in Parliament, where a bill in this respect has been pending for a long period and is currently stuck in the Chamber of Deputies. The health minister Alexandru Rafila said suspending the provision of healthcare services is unacceptable, and that he hoped for a dialogue between the management and the staff of the National Health Insurance Agency.



    BUDGET The ruling coalition have started talks on next years public budget. The government has approved a memorandum drawn up by the finance ministry, which lists the significant public investment projects on which the budget will be based. The transportation ministry has the largest number of projects in the list, i.e. 108 projects in various implementation stages, which means this ministry will receive the largest appropriations in the 2024 budget.



    HOSTAGES The Romanian foreign ministry announced that checks conducted by the Romanian authorities based on the information provided by Israel indicate that another person with dual (Romanian and Israeli) citizenship and living in Israel is a hostage in the Gaza Strip. The foreign ministry also announced that the Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Romanian Consulate in Haifa are in touch with the Israeli authorities. So far 4 people with Romanian and Israeli citizenship are known to be held hostage by the Hamas terrorists.



    ISRAEL The US secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday morning to persuade Israel to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. This is Blinkens second trip to the Middle East since the Hamas Islamists attacked Israel on October 7. International mass media report that the US diplomacy chief will have meetings with the Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, and with members of his security cabinet. From Israel, Blinken is to travel next to neighbouring Jordan. Meanwhile, Israel announced that its forces have surrounded Gaza City, the largest urban centre in Gaza and previously controlled by Hamas.



    BOOK FAIR The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair invites book lovers to Timişoara, a European Capital of Culture in 2023. The fair takes place until Sunday, and it brings together scores of publishers presenting their most recent releases, best-sellers, special offers and discounts. Todays most eagerly awaited event is the launch of a volume of dialogues between Robert Şerban and the contemporary Romanian poet Şerban Foarţă. Q&A sessions with writers, roundtables and book signing events are also scheduled. The Timisoara-based writer Patricia Lidia released a volume entitled “Adventures in Brancusis World,” an event that complements the exhibition devoted to the great Romanian-born sculptor opened these days at the National Art Museum in Timişoara. (AMP)


  • Seeking employment abroad, the perks and the pitfalls

    Seeking employment abroad, the perks and the pitfalls

    According to statistical data provided by the Romanian
    Foreign Affairs Ministry, over 5.7 million Romanians are abroad, according to
    the most recent census. All of them have the required legal papers for their
    stay outside the country. Unofficially, however, there also is a great number of
    Romanians who works in Western Europe, among whom a great number of them is undeclared. So with no legal documents! With a demographic situation in a
    continuous crisis, Romania adds up to the number of countries hit by economic difficulties.
    The pandemic brought many of Romanians back to their country of origin, yet the dire
    economic situation sent those people back to the countries they came from. With or without
    legal documents in order, a growing number of Romanians yet again embarked upon
    the path of self-exile, because here, the salaries do not align with the
    inflation rate, which is visible in the quality of life here and in the lack
    of perspective, longer-term.


    So what can a Romanian do abroad? Most of the countries
    on the lookout for workforce from us are somehow, traditional: Germany, The
    Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, but also Norway, Sweden and Finland. The
    e-jobs portal has pointed to a downward trend in Romanians’ intention to leave,
    as compared to the number of applications.

    With details on that, here is the
    e-jobs Head of Communications, Ana Calugaru:


    Since
    early January and until now, the number of application for a job abroad has diminished.
    For this period of time, we had almost 34,000 applications for jobs abroad. That means 1. 4% of the total number of
    applications. The countries that received the greatest number of applications
    have been Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, The Republic of Ireland, Cyprus
    or Great Britain. Spain and Italy have fallen out of favor pretty much as
    compared to 6,7,8 years ago, when they used to be very popular.


    Most of the candidates look for jobs for which no qualification is
    required, which shortens the time for the job search, at once widening the
    range of job opportunities.

    Here is the e-jobs Head of Communications, Ana Calugaru, once
    again:








    Speaking about the
    areas where most of the vacancies have been posted. To that end, since the beginning
    of the year and until now, employers from abroad have posted 55,000 job
    vacancies for candidates from Romania. Most of the vacancies come from Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, England,
    Spain, Belgium and Denmark. The domains for which the Romanians are extremely sought-after
    are transports, logistics, navy, aeronautics, production, constructions,
    tourism, services, food industry, retail and healthcare.


    Regarding the wages, the Romanians could go and
    work abroad even for a thousand euros. In agriculture, the net wages per hour
    range from 8.50 to 10 euros, meaning that, at the end of the month, the net
    income amounts to as much as 1,000 euros or thereabouts.


    For example, in Spain, for a job in administration,
    the gross income per month accounts for 1,900 euros, while in agriculture and administration,
    it stands at almost 1,700 euros. Also in Spain, in arts and culture, the
    monthly income is 1,900 euros, in the constructions sector, 2,400 Euros, in
    mining and metallurgy, 2,300 Euros, while in the healthcare system, the monthly
    gross income accounts for 2,000 euros. A fruit picker gets 1,100 euros, the
    lowest salary.


    In the Low Countries, a monthly salary in
    agriculture stands at 2,850 euros. For a job in arts and culture, the salary
    per month stands at roughly 3,170 euros. For a truck driver, the salary per month
    ranges from 2,070 to 4,450 euros. For a physician, the salary ranges from 3, 000
    to 7, 100 euro.


    In Germany, extremely sought-after is the care home
    staff. The demand is high for this job, given the demographic decline. Germany lures
    the Romanians with experience in the field with an annual income ranging from 32,
    500 to 39, 000 Euros, plus perks, such as rent subsidies for the first month,
    free-of-charge language courses, furnished apartments and 30-day vacations per
    year.


    In Italy, a Romanian with no qualification can earn
    roughly 1,250 euros per month, in the constructions sector, for instance.


    In Denmark, no qualification is
    needed for a job on a farm. The salary accounts for 1,600 euros. For a job in
    constructions sector or in a slaughter house, the monthly wages range from 2, 100
    de euro to 2, 500 euro.


    Here is the e-jobs Head of
    Communications, Ana Calugaru, once again, this time speaking about the other
    perks Western Europe employers offer to the Romanians who intend to work in
    their companies:






    What
    other perks do they offer? Healthcare insurance, one or two-month accommodation
    subsidies offered until employees can find their own accommodation. For some
    positions, companies can also offer a relocation premium.


    Statistically speaking, the happiest are the Romanians working in
    Spain. Spain offers a fine job-daily life balance which is very attractive for them.
    For this very reason, a growing number of Romanians opt for leaving Germany to work in Spain. At any rate, according to the specialists’ advice, those who may wish to
    do that should sleep on it, in case they intend to work abroad.

  • August 6, 2023 UPDATE

    August 6, 2023 UPDATE

    WAR President Klaus Iohannis Sunday released a message occasioned by
    the centennial of the War Heroes Mausoleum in Mărăşeşti (east). The president
    points out in the message that in the most important battle of the 1917 campaign
    in World War I, in Mărăşeşti, the Romanian Army with support from the Allies
    managed to stop the offensive of the Central Powers and stabilised the front
    line for the rest of the war. Construction works on the Mausoleum, erected in
    memory of the over 5,000 officers and soldiers who died then, started on August
    6, 1923, at the initiative of the Romanian Orthodox Women Society, and ended in
    1938. The president’s message also says that the current military conflict in
    Ukraine is a reminder of the horrors of war and of the duty to strengthen
    Romania’s resilience and defence capacity. A NATO and EU member state, Romania is
    at present a pillar of regional stability, a major security provider in
    South-Eastern Europe, and it benefits from the most reliable security
    guarantees in its history, Klaus Iohannis also says in his message.


    HEALTHCARE The task group entrusted with drawing up Romania’s
    healthcare digitisation strategy had a first meeting in Bucharest on Sunday. According
    to the line minister, Alexandru Rafila, electronic and information technologies
    will improve Romanians’ access to healthcare services, will help reduce errors
    and optimise management and resource planning in the sector. Calls for
    proposals have already been opened for the introduction of electronic
    technologies in 200 hospitals and the National Health Insurance Agency, and in
    mid-August further calls will be opened for the development of the national
    telemedicine system. Romania can spend EUR 400 mln for the digitisation of the public
    healthcare sector, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.


    FIRES The Romanian
    fire-fighters deployed to Greece worked on Saturday and Sunday together with
    their Greek colleagues to put out a fire in the Aragonitis area, around 55 km
    from the village of Vilia, in the region of Attica, the General Inspectorate
    for Emergencies announced. According to the institution, at the request of the
    Greek liaison officers, the Romanian unit supported the Greek fire-fighters
    with 4 fire engines, personnel rotating every 4 hours, and additional lighting
    equipment. Scores of Romanian fire-fighters have already taken part, over the
    past few weeks, in similar missions to support the Greek authorities manage
    extensive wildfires.


    CATHOLICS The South
    Korean capital city Seoul will host the next edition of World Youth Day, in
    2027, Pope Francis announced on Sunday during a religious service in Lisbon
    held at the end of the 16th edition of the event. Initiated in 1986 by
    Pope John Paul II, World Youth Day, the largest international gathering of
    Catholic youth, is organised every 2 or 3 years and comprises cultural and
    religious events. The 2023 edition, postponed by a year because of the Covid-19
    pandemic, brought 1.5 million worshippers to Lisbon, where Pope Francis, 86, Sunday
    concluded a 5-day visit to Portugal, his 42nd international trip since his election in 2013.
    The World Youth Day editions with the largest numbers of participants were in Manila
    in 1995 (5 million people), Rio de Janeiro (3.7 million) and Krakow (3 million).
    Around 11% of South Korea’s 52-million population are Catholic.


    GAMES Romania came
    out 2nd in the Francophonie Games hosted by Kinshasa (Congo), after
    Morocco, with a total 17 gold, 9 silver and 12 bronze medals. Third came
    Cameroon. On Saturday, the Romanian athletes won 2 medals, a silver and a
    bronze, in African wrestling. Romania participated in the Games with 57
    athletes, competing in athletics, women’s basketball, freestyle and African
    wrestling, road cycling, table tennis and judo. The 9th Francophonie
    Games were held between July 28 and August 6. (AMP)

  • June 30, 2023

    June 30, 2023

    PRICES The government of Romania is discussing today an emergency
    order introducing temporary measures to curb the excessive rise of foodstuff
    prices. Under the new regulation, food processors may charge a maximum 20%
    mark-up on production costs. The combined mark-up throughout the distribution
    chain, regardless of the number of distributors, may not exceed 5%, while
    retailers may charge an additional maximum 20% on purchase prices plus
    overheads and direct expenses. The emergency order will be valid for 90 days
    after endorsement.


    EU Europe’s relations with China
    are on the agenda of Friday’s talks at the European Council meeting in Brussels.
    Some member states believe the West relies too much on an undemocratic country
    that has close ties with Russia. The invasion of Ukraine highlighted the West’s
    dependence on Russian oil and gas, and there are concerns that a similar
    mistake is being made with respect to China, the source of many consumer goods,
    the BBC notes. On Thursday, the first day of the Council meeting, the situation
    in Ukraine and Russia was in the focus on the talks. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, EU leaders have undertaken
    to help Ukraine in the long run to defend itself against Russia’s military
    aggression. The meeting was also attended by the NATO secretary general Jens
    Stoltenberg, with the president of Ukraine Volodymyr
    Zelenskyy joining in via video link. The
    president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, said both the EU and NATO must provide
    proportional support to the R. of Moldova as well, which is waiting to take the
    next step towards European integration. As regards the transit of Ukrainian
    grain, which has affected Romanian farmers, the president says Romania may
    provide an answer to Kyiv’s request for more intensive use of the Danube as a
    transit option.


    SALARIES Teaching staff in the Romanian public
    undergraduate education sector will receive more benefits under the new
    collective bargaining agreement signed on Thursday. The announcement was made
    by the education minister, Ligia Deca. On the other hand, Sanitas trade union
    announced they have secured pay raises for public healthcare staff.

    PENSIONS The Constitutional Court of Romania will discuss on 26 July
    a notification filed by the High Court of Cassation and Justice against the
    scrapping of special pensions and the law prohibiting the payment of both
    public sector salaries and pensions to the same person at the same time. Both
    bills were passed on Wednesday in Parliament and are being checked for
    compliance with the Constitution, before being sent for promulgation by
    president Klaus Iohannis. Supreme Court judges decided to notify the
    Constitutional Court with respect to the two bills, which they claim violates
    several of their rights.


    SUPPORT The PM of Spain Pedro Sanchez travels to Kyiv on Saturday to
    reiterate the EU’s unwavering support for Ukraine, on the first day of Spain’s
    rotating presidency of the EU Council, 1 July. The announcement was made by the
    president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine is an EU candidate country
    and is hoping to open accession negotiations at the end of this year.


    EUROPEAN GAMES Romania is placed 13th in the nations
    ranking at the European Games in Krakow-Malopolska (Poland), 9 days into the
    competition. Romanian athletes have so far won 14 medals (5 gold, 4 silver and
    5 bronze). Cyclist Vlad Dascălu in the mountain bike event, athlete Claudia
    Bobocea in the 1,500m race, Bernadette Szocs in the table tennis final, as well
    as Kinga Barabasi and Apor Gyorgydeak in teqball are Romania’s gold medallists.
    Silver medals went to athletes Bianca Ghelber in the hammer throw event and
    Daniela Stanciu in the high jump, to rower Cătălin Chirilă in the 500m canoe
    race and to Ilinca Pantiş in the saber event. Ştefan Comănescu in the 67 kg kumite,
    Andrea Miklos in the 400 m race, Mălina Călugăreanu in the foil event, Ovidiu
    Ionescu/Bernadette Szocs in the mixed doubles and Elizabeta Samara in the women’s
    table tennis competitions, respectively, won bronze medals. Romania takes part
    in this year’s edition of the European Games with 150 athletes in 18 sports. (AMP)

  • Social discontent in Romania

    Social discontent in Romania

    The Romanian coalition government is in a fix, under double pressure, put by both the education and healthcare trade unions which are asking for significant salary increases, and by the excessive budget deficit, which is above the limit allowed in the European Union. The teachers and the non-teaching staff have been on an all-out strike since Monday, which they say could be extended for several weeks, jeopardizing the national exams. So far, the negotiations have failed. The trade unionists want the authorities to find quick solutions for increasing the salaries of all the teaching staff.



    The representatives of students and parents have also had talks with the government. They support the demands of the teachers, but they are worried about the approaching end-of-year exams. The government claims that the solution is the adoption of the salary law. However, the teachers have lost patience, they say that they are tired of promises and demand the adoption of a law that should increase all salaries in the education system until the new law on public sector salaries is drafted by Parliament. The authorities should increase not only the incomes of the beginner teachers but also those of all teaching staff, the trade unionists claim.




    According to Anton Hadăr, the leader of the Alma Mater National Trade Union Federation they are speaking about 260,000 people: We did not receive a satisfactory proposal. Longer-term solutions, i.e. the future salary law, are also being protracted. At this pace, I guarantee you that there will be a strike this entire week, and I think the strike will be extended, not just for a week.



    Social discontent is rising dangerously in the area of ​​healthcare too. Dissatisfied with the fact that the unitary salary law was allegedly not applied correctly, the trade unionists from the Sanitas Federation picketed the Health Ministry. A possible strike by nurses and caretakers will not affect the hospitalized patients, but it will cause the postponement of certain surgical operations.



    The president of the Sanitas Federation, Leonard Bărăscu: The all-out strike does not affect the patients, I can guarantee that, because the sick will receive the best care possible, as before. The problem is that we will have to give up certain surgical operations for chronic patients, that will be canceled or postponed for a few days.



    Healthcare employees want the continuation of employment in the field of Health and Social Assistance, the granting of the basic salaries in the grid to all employees, the calculation of all the increments and the hourly rate for night shifts by reference to the paid salary, the calculation of the food allowance by reference to the current minimum gross salary in Romania and the adequate funding of Health and Social Assistance institutions. On June 8, there will be a warning strike with work being interrupted for two hours, and the all-out strike is scheduled for June 15. (LS)

  • EU funding for hospitals

    EU funding for hospitals

    The Romanian defence minister, Angel
    Tîlvăr, and health minister, Alexandru Rafila, have signed a number of
    financing contracts for healthcare infrastructure investment projects under the
    National Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).


    The funds will be channeled into military
    hospitals around the country, as well as other hospitals in Bucharest and Constanţa
    (south-east). The emergency military hospitals in Sibiu (centre), Piteşti (south),
    Craiova (south-west) and Braşov (centre) will receive money for revamping and
    for building new wards.


    The defence minister says patients’
    confidence in military hospitals is quite high and emphasized that substantial
    funding will be used for such hospitals.


    Angel Tîlvăr: The documents I am honoured to sign today
    together with Mr. Rafila, the health minister, allow the financing of new
    buildings for 4 military hospitals in the country, which will receive around
    EUR 81 mln under Component 12, Healthcare, of the RRP.


    Also under the RRP, in Bucharest a new TB
    diagnosis and treatment centre will be built, using some EUR 26 mln. The
    manager of the Pneumophtysiology Institute, Beatrice Mahler, explains that this
    investment will benefit both patients, and the specialists in the field:


    Beatrice Mahler: This investment
    has been long awaited by Romanian TB patients, who fortunately, thanks to this
    kind of investments, will no longer feel stigmatised, but also by the
    healthcare staff, because we want not only patients to be safe, but the
    personnel as well.


    In turn, the health minister
    pointed out that funding will be earmarked next for the revamping of family
    physician practices:


    Alexandru Rafila: We will soon
    finalise all the investment contracts, both for hospital healthcare and for
    outpatient facilities, including family physician practices, for which the
    final stage will be soon reached, allowing for their financing, revamping and
    equipment procurement.


    The newly signed contracts also cover
    the building of a new mother and child health facility as part of the Constanţa
    Emergency Hospital, and the extension of the Municipal Polyclinic there.


    The National Recovery and Resilience Plan is designed to ensure the development of Romania, by increasing its
    resilience in crisis situations after the COVID-19 pandemic, and by
    capitalising on the country’s economic growth potential, through major reforms
    and key investments. In order to receive funding,
    Member States submit their national plans to the European Commission, and
    receive money in instalments, until August 2026, depending on their meeting specific benchmarks. Romania benefits
    from over EUR 29 bln under this facility. (AMP)

  • Education for the grassroots in modern Romania

    Education for the grassroots in modern Romania

    Romania’s rural community centers are associated with the communist propaganda according to the Romanian collective imaginary, which also associates such establishments with the village’s off-the-record disco parties, improvised occasionally and somehow going against the law. Yet the history of such cultural establishments goes back in time, before the communist regime. Initially, the rural community centers were part of a wide-scope effort which also included propaganda as well as education, in the broader sense of the word. To put it briefly, we shall soon be marking a hundred years since the rural community centers have been established in Romania in 1923, under the aegis of then the Royal Foundations, at that time a leading public cultural institution. Our guest today is historian Razvan Andrei Voinea. Here he is, speaking about the eventual aim of the community centers in the inter-war years.



    It was also a propagandistic aim. We found it very interesting to analyze that nationalistic-monarchic discourse, mainly after King Carol II came to power and after the implementation of that kind of royal dictatorship after 1938. Back in the day the propaganda was made with the purpose of awakening the national consciousness. By all means, there were indeed a lot of measures implemented to increase the role of religion, to enhance the image of the monarchy in the traditional imaginary, and that was obvious especially after 1934. No more than 100-150 community centers had been set up until then, but as soon as sociologist Dimitrie Gusti became the head of the Royal Foundations, almost 2,000 community centers were established between 1934 and 1938. It’s fascinating, I mean, having so very many community centers that were operational all those years. And it was also then that Gusti came up with a great number of measures taken to improve the quality of life in the rural areas. There was a lot more to it than that: there was the economic aspect through scores of programmes implemented so that villagers could find out how they could get richer, then there was the cultural dimension, there also was a healthcare aspect, a very important one, the reformers were trying to implement.



    With no dedicated buildings, the interwar years’ community centers were more like village associations. Here is historian Razvan Andrei Voinea once again, this time speaking about some of the activities carried by such centers.



    The construction of premises was an attempt that was partially accomplished: cattle shelters, public monuments, fountains, lampposts for public lighting. One such example is the public bath (…) ditches were dug, sick people were taken care of, for instance. Speaking about healthcare, they made much of cleanliness and the public baths. Public paths were built, for instance (…) And, during World War Two, funds were raised, as well as stuff for the soldiers on the frontline. (…) An important role was played by the setting up of the libraries. Each community center had its own library. Again, that is important as well. We also need to say that, at that time, the community centers did not have the image they have today, which is fueled by the communist constructions. Usually, in the inter-war years their premises were the school or the town hall. That is why quite a few of them were a hundred percent linked to the village school, or were managed by the priest or the principal. They were the main animators of the cultural activity in the rural areas.



    This first part in the history of the community centers lasted until the instatement of the communist regime and ended with the dismantling of the Royal Foundations, in the same period of time. And it was also back then that the cultural and education activity had seen a new stage.



    Razvan Andrei Voinea:



    First of all, major investments were made in the community centers.(…) A new building could be seen in each and every village across Romania: the community center built after 1948. On the spur of the moment, many of them were placed in the boyars’ residential buildings which were forcibly turned into state property, but afterwards, buildings were erected, based on a series of projects made by the design institutes in the big cities. The activities carried in the new buildings were very diverse, obviously based on the same type of propaganda. Get-togethers were organized, exhibitions were mounted, focusing on the collective farming in the USSR or in other regions across Romania. Peasants were brought to see that exhibition. Then again, a very interesting direction was that of the propaganda through film, which began in 1960. (…) Furthermore, rural theatre troupes were set up. There were hundreds of such troupes all across Romania, and they had a rather rich repertoire (…) As a rule, scripts were written in Bucharest only to be dispatched to various community centers. The troupes there practically acted following those scripts. (…) On Sundays at 11 am, those who went to the community center could see a play. It was the same all around the country, it was based on that script which had the purpose of unifying the cultural discourse.



    Since 1990, community centers in the rural regions have been of no interest for the political decision-makers or the cultural managers of the public institutions, At the moment, of the existing 7,100 village community centers, a mere 125 of them stage specific activities.


    (EN)