Radio România Internațional

Tag: hospitals

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    The Prime Minister of Romania visits Italy

    Romania and Italy are entering a new stage of development of their consolidated strategic partnership, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday in Rome. He pointed out that the joint statement he signed with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lays the foundations for an action plan that will strengthen relations between the two states at another level. “I appreciated the openness of Ms. President Meloni regarding the intensification of economic cooperation, but also for the valorization of the Romanian diaspora living in Italy, as well as the Italian community in our country,” said Ciolacu, in joint statements made alongside his Italian counterpart. Marcel Ciolacu conveyed to the Romanians in Italy that the authorities in Bucharest are at their disposal, and thanked the Italian Prime Minister and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies of this country for unblocking the situation regarding the settlement of the pension files of the Romanians who worked in the Peninsula. At the same time, the head of the Government expressed his hope that Prime Minister Meloni will also support the steps to complete the negotiations on the agreement between the Romanian Orthodox Bishopric and the Italian Cabinet, started in 2012, regarding the status of Romanian Orthodox clergy, in the context in which the Orthodox Bishopric provides essential support for Romanians in Italy. During the joint meeting of the two Governments, the main topic was related to the economic dimension, given the fact that bilateral trade exceeded 20 billion euros in 2023, a new record. “Italy is Romania’s second trade partner. At the same time, I notice, with satisfaction, that the Romanians over here have reached the second place in a ranking of foreigners who open businesses in Italy, with tens of thousands of companies and individual enterprises”, highlighted Ciolacu. He also launched a call to Italian companies to invest in Romania. On the other hand, the meeting of the Cabinets from Bucharest and Rome also provided the opportunity to discuss topics on the European and international agenda. Also on Thursday, Prime Minister Ciolacu was received at the Vatican, in a private audience, by Pope Francis, and then he discussed with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The visit of the Romanian delegation to Italy ended with an Italian-Romanian economic forum. On Wednesday, on the first day of his visit to Italy, the head of the Bucharest executive had a meeting with the mayor of Rome and representatives of the Romanian community in the Peninsula.

    Economic forecasts

    The National Bank of Romania has slightly lowered its inflation forecast at the end of this year to 4.7%, and anticipates a value of 3.5% for the end of 2025. The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, says that there are, however, a number of internal and external factors that can leave their mark on the evolution of inflation, among the most important being the conduct of fiscal policy, as well as the developments related to the two unfolding military conflicts. On the other hand, the Central Bank does not rule out a decrease in the monetary policy interest rate, after recently deciding that this indicator should remain at 7% per year. According to the governor of the NBR, Mugur Isărescu, the reduction of the reference interest rate, taken into account by any bank when granting loans to clients, individuals or companies, can only take place after two consecutive months of falling inflation. For its part, the National Institute of Statistics shows that Romania’s economy grew by 2% in 2023. The increase is above the level recorded both in the EU and in the euro zone, where the gross domestic product grew by only 0.5 percent.

    Cyber attack on hospitals in Romania

    26 hospitals in Romania, including Bucharest, were affected, this week, by a cyber attack that encrypted the data from the servers of these units, announced the National Cyber Security Directorate. Most of the affected medical units, however, had backups. The Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, stated for Radio Romania that some of the affected units managed to fix their problems, and the competent institutions will develop a new technical standard aimed at preventing such actions that destabilize the medical system. The national organized crime division has opened a criminal case, in which criminal investigations are carried out in rem, in connection with the cyber attack. In the past, computer attacks have also targeted public institutions in Romania.

    Gold and bronze medals for Romanian athletes

    Mihaela Valentina Cambei was awarded the title of the best European weightlifter of the year 2023, on Monday, in Sofia, Bulgaria, after winning three gold medals in the 49 kg category, at the European Championships, announced the Romanian Weightlifting Federation on its Facebook page. On the other hand, on Thursday, Romanian athlete Andreea Beatrice Ana won the gold medal in the 55 kg category, at the European Wrestling Championships for seniors in Bucharest, after defeating Mariana Drăguţan from the Republic of Moldova in the finals . Also on Thursday, Romanian athlete Cătălin Preda won the bronze medal in the men’s high jump event (27 meters), at the World Swimming Championships in Doha, Qatar. Romanian Constantin Popovici, the holder of the world title, ranked only eighth. At the World Championships in Fukuoka, last year, Popovici won the gold, and Preda took the silver. Popovici also won gold at the 2022 European Championships, where Preda also took the silver.

  • February 14, 2024

    February 14, 2024

    VISIT A Romanian
    delegation headed by PM Marcel Ciolacu is on a visit to Rome as of today. The
    main item on the agenda is the 3rd joint meeting of the 2 countries’
    governments, held 13 years
    after the previous inter-governmental summit. An economic forum will also be organised,
    attended by business people from the 2 countries. PM Ciolacu has meetings today with
    members of the Romanian community in Italy, and is to be received by His
    Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican. Also today, the Romanian official has
    talks with the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri. On Thursday Marcel Ciolcacu
    will have an official meeting with the PM of Italy, Georgia Meloni, followed by
    joint press statements. Italy is home to the largest Romanian community abroad,
    comprising more than 1.1 million citizens, and is Romania’s second-largest
    trade partner, with exchanges accounting for approx. 9.5% of the country’s
    foreign trade.


    CYBER ATTACK Several hospitals in Romania, including
    in Bucharest, have been targeted by a cyber-attack that encrypted data on their
    servers, the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC) announced. Most of the
    healthcare units affected by the incident had safety copies of their data.
    According to the health ministry, exceptional security measures have been
    implemented, with many units in the healthcare system disconnected from the
    internet for further inquiries. The Directorate Investigating Organised Crime
    and Terrorism Offences has started a criminal investigation.


    FARMERS The European Commission has officially endorsed a regulation which
    grants a one-year exemption from the rule requiring farmers to keep 4% of their
    arable land fallow. The rule, designed to help improve environment
    conditions, had sparked protests across the EU, including in Romania. In exchange, farmers
    are now required to grow nitrogen fixing crops such as lentils or peas. The new
    regulation is intended to give farmers more flexibility, while also protecting
    biodiversity and land quality. The measure is to be applied for the year 2024. Member
    States have 15 days to notify the Commission of the implementation option that they
    choose out of the 2 alternatives available.


    STUDENTS Romanian schoolchildren may
    have free of charge access to museums, concerts, theatre and opera shows,
    movies and other cultural and sports events organised by public institutions,
    within approved budgets, under a new bill passed in the Senate and backed by
    all parliamentary parties. In a society threatened by the absence of role
    models, museums and other informal learning venues should be available to
    students free of charge, and this facility is an investment in their
    educational future, the bill authors argue. The draft law is to be forwarded to
    the Chamber of Deputies for the decisive vote.


    TRANSPORTS Special lanes for EU and third-country lorries will be
    operational in several Romanian checkpoints as of this week, the public road
    company has announced. This is one of the measures agreed on with the carriers
    that have been protesting in Romania over the past month, and it is designed to
    reduce waiting times at the border. Moreover, carriers will no longer be
    charged additional fees for weight 5% over the accepted ceiling. A new round of
    talks on separate flows for EU and non-EU lorries was held on Tuesday by the
    transport ministry, the public road company and road transport operators.


    INTERESTS The
    National Bank of Romania has decided to keep the monetary policy interest rate
    at 7% per year, the institution announced. The key interest rate has not been
    changed since last January, when the National Bank decided to raise it from
    6.75% to 7% per year. A balanced mix of macroeconomic policies and structural
    reforms, including the use of EU funding to encourage the country’s growth
    potential in the long run, are vital to maintaining macroeconomic stability and
    to strengthening the Romanian economy’s capacity to withstand negative
    developments, the institution said.

    NATO Eighteen NATO member states will reach the 2% of GDP defence allocation
    target in 2024, the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced on
    Wednesday, ahead of a meeting of NATO defence ministers. According to Reuters, he
    also said that EU member states will invest a combined USD 380 bln in defence
    this year. The decision to earmark at least 2% of GDP to defence dates back to
    2006, but only some member states have reached this target. After Russia
    invaded Ukraine in February 2022, NATO member countries reiterated this
    commitment. Romania has channelled over 2% of its GDP for defence for several
    years, and after the start of the war in Ukraine it has committed to invest
    2.5% of GDP in Army equipment. (AMP)

  • February 13, 2024 UPDATE

    February 13, 2024 UPDATE

    VISIT The PM
    of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, will be on an official visit to Rome on February
    14-15, and will take part in the 3rd joint government meeting of Romania and
    Italy, held 13 years after the previous inter-governmental summit. PM Ciolacu
    will have meetings with the PM of Italy, Georgia Meloni, and will attend a
    meeting of the 2 official delegations and the signing of bilateral documents. His
    agenda also includes talks with the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and a
    meeting with the Romanian community in Italy. Italy is one of Romania’s most
    important economic partners, and the Economic Forum focusing on areas such as IT&C,
    energy, the processing industry, infrastructure and the agri-food industry is
    another excellent opportunity to improve our economic cooperation, PM Marcel
    Ciolacu said. Marcel Ciolacu will also be received by His Holiness Pope Francis
    at the Vatican.


    INTERESTS The
    National Bank of Romania Tuesday decided to keep the monetary policy interest
    rate at 7% per year, the institution announced. The central bank will also keep
    the credit facility interest rate at 8% per year and the deposit facility
    interest rate at 6% per year, and also maintain the current levels of the
    compulsory minimum reserve rates for banks’ national and foreign currency
    liabilities. The key interest rate has not been changed since last January, when
    the National Bank decided to raise it from 6.75% to 7% per year. A balanced mix
    of macroeconomic policies and structural reforms, including the use of EU
    funding to encourage the country’s growth potential in the long run, are vital
    to maintaining macroeconomic stability and to strengthening the Romanian
    economy’s capacity to withstand negative developments, the institution said. An
    updated forecast by the central bank reconfirms the prospects of an increase of
    the annual inflation rate in the first months of this year, following the
    increase of existing indirect taxes and the introduction of new ones, and of a
    subsequent downward trend, at a slower pace than in 2023 and than originally
    expected.


    CYBERSECURITY On Tuesday 4 more hospitals in
    Bucharest and elsewhere in the country were added to the list of 21 public and
    private healthcare units affected since last weekend by a large-scale cyber
    security incident, the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC) announced. A crypto
    currency ransom demand has been received, amounting to approx. EUR 157,000, but
    the attackers only provided an email address, without disclosing the name of
    the group claiming the attack. Both the DNSC and other cyber security
    authorities involved urge the victims not to contact the perpetrators and not
    to pay the ransom. The healthcare minister, Alexandru Rafila, has told Radio
    Romania that some of the hospitals have managed to fix the problems, and the
    authorities will come up with a new technical standard designed to prevent such
    actions. Other public institutions in Romania have been targeted by cyber-attacks
    in the past.


    FARMERS On
    Tuesday the European Commission officially endorsed a regulation which grants a
    partial exemption for farmers from the rule binding them to keep 4% of their
    arable land fallow. In exchange, they are required to grow nitrogen fixing
    crops such as lentils or peas. The measure comes after large-scale farmer
    protests across the EU, including in Romania. Member States who wish to apply
    the derogation at national level need to notify the Commission within 15 days
    of entry into force of the Regulation so that farmers can be informed as soon
    as possible.


    WRD World Radio Day was celebrated on Tuesday, and this year’s theme
    was A century of information, entertainment and education. To mark this
    celebration, Radio Romania’s stations broadcast interviews with journalists,
    media experts, teachers, public figures and listeners, and their programmes
    featured debates on the future of radio and broadcasts from the European
    Broadcasting Union. The UNESCO declaration on World Radio Day, entitled Radio,
    the Trusted Guide in a Changing World, can be found on the websites of all
    Radio Romania’s stations.


    WRESTLING The
    Romanian athlete Denis Florin Mihai won the bronze in the Greco-Roman style 55
    kilo category of the European Wrestling Championship in Bucharest on Tuesday, after
    defeating Georgia’s Nugzari Tsurtsumia. Mihai ranks 4th in the world
    standings and was the bronze winner in last year’s European Championships. Romania
    takes part in the event in Bucharest with 30 athletes, 10 in each style.


    POLO Romania’s men’s water polo team will play for the 9th
    place at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, after defeating China 9-7 on Tuesday. In
    the match for the 9th and 10th places, scheduled on
    February 15, Romania takes on the USA. Romania finished 8th last
    month in the European Championships held in Croatia, and the team’s best performance
    to date at a World Championship is a 5th place in 1975. (AMP)

  • European Money for Romanian hospitals

    European Money for Romanian hospitals

    The government in Bucharest on Thursday approved the
    timetable of signature procedures by the end of the year for the funding contracts
    of several hospitals in Romania.


    The field of healthcare is one of a maximum interest
    and concern for all citizens to which we must give the appropriate attention as
    well as our responsible commitment in order to achieve what we have announced
    up to this moment – the country’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said. According
    to Dan Carbunaru, spokesman for the Romanian Executive, the programme focuses
    on the construction and fitting of 7 new county hospitals and also for the refurbishment
    or reconstruction of other 20 public city hospitals.


    Dan Cărbunaru: The total
    sum to fund this programme stays around 2 billion Euros and will be covered from
    European funds through both the Health programme and the European Investment
    Bank. The timetable is pretty tight and involves the publication of the
    guidelines by 15th May and the appeals until 10th July so
    that all the funding contracts be signed by the end of the year.


    According to the Minister of Investment and European
    Projects, Marcel Boloş, the deadlines set the opportunity for accessing funds
    through the Operational Health Programme. The programme, which was endorsed in
    late November by the European Commission, is a multi-fund programme with a
    total allotment of 5.8 billion Euros.


    It’s for the first time Romania benefits from a
    Health programme to support mass investment in its hospital infrastructure, in
    high-quality medical services and in training the medical personnel – Marcel Boloș said after the endorsement of the
    project by the community executive.


    According to the Minister, the Romanian medical system
    will be rebuilt on this budget so that the Romanians may benefit conditions,
    services and personnel at the level of the European countries with
    high-performing public healthcare systems.


    Also worth noting is the fact that investment, from
    the blueprints to the construction and fitting of these medical facilities with
    the appropriate equipment, must be ready until June 2026.


    A recent survey conducted by World Bank experts shows
    that Romania runs the risk of losing three major projects from the National Recovery
    and Resilience Plan due to the delays in various stages of the projects such as
    research, tenders and works. One of these projects that can be lost is the
    funding of the aforementioned 27 hospitals. Opposition in Romania and experts have
    repeatedly cautioned against the delays in the process of approving the list of
    the hospitals included in the programme, which was eventually endorsed by the
    government in Bucharest in February.


    (bill)

  • April 21, 2023

    April 21, 2023

    TALKS Romania will not ban the import of Ukrainian grains unilaterally and will wait for the European Commission to implement measures aimed at supporting farmers in Central and Eastern Europe, the country’s Minister of Agriculture, Petre Daea, said on Friday. According to him, Romania and Ukraine will consult weekly regarding the expected volumes of grain, in an attempt to limit imports. At the end of a meeting held in Bucharest with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykola Solsky, Petre Daea said that Romania stands in solidarity with farmers from Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia, but the rules must be made together. In turn, Mykola Solsky thanked the minister for the sincere and constructive dialogue as well as the Romanian people for the sincere support he has felt for the past two years. The situation we are in now requires some very quick decisions – added the Ukrainian official. The two ministers also tackled the cereal crisis online, a couple of days ago, when Petre Daea briefed his Ukrainian counterpart on the serious situation farmers are facing in Romania and informed him about the measures taken in relation to the transit of Ukrainian cereals.




    BILL Government in Romania is expected to present next
    week a draft emergency ordinance regarding the efficiency of public spending.
    This will also include other fiscal-budgetary measures, which must not be
    perceived as austerity measures, Finance Minister Adrian Câciu has said.
    According to the country’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, curbing budget
    expenditures is aimed at being within the deficit limits at the end of the year
    and is not going to affect investments and salaries. The Romanian official also
    made an appeal to the big taxpayers urging them to pay their debts to the
    state.






    DEFENCE The Romanian
    Minister of Defence Angel Tilvar is today attending the meeting of the Contact
    Group for Ukraine, presently underway in Ramstein, Germany. According to a
    communique by the Ministry of Defence, the meeting of the already established format,
    on the support the international community is providing to the Ukrainian
    partner, proves to be another opportunity to exchange ideas on the security
    situation created by the war the Russian Federation is presently waging on that
    country and to identify new ways of supporting the Ukrainian partner. According
    to Reuters, the German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, has rejected a
    quick decision on Ukraine’s membership at NATO. Kyiv wants to join the
    North-Atlantic Alliance but the country’s entry either into NATO or the EU is
    not going to be discussed at the aforementioned meeting in Ramstein. NATO’s
    Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg has extended an invitation to president
    Zelensky for the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, which will have high on the
    agenda, the country’s NATO accession as well as solid security guarantees for Kyiv.







    HOSPITALS The Romanian Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, on Thursday signed the financing contracts through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for a new hospital infrastructure. Thus, military hospitals in the country, as well as others in the capital Bucharest and the city of Constanta, in the south-east, will benefit from new wards and pavilions. At the same time, a tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment center is to be built in Bucharest. The general objective of the PNRR is the development of Romania by carrying out essential programs and projects, which support resilience, the level of preparedness for crisis situations, the ability to adapt and the potential for growth, through major reforms and key investments with funds allocated by the European Commission within the mechanism.


    (bill)

  • April 26, 2022 UPDATE

    April 26, 2022 UPDATE

    AID The
    United States is determined to move heaven and earth to help Ukraine win its
    battle against Russia, the US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday.
    The US official spoke before the representatives of 40 countries who convened
    at the US air base in Ramstein, Western Germany, for talks over how to raise
    Ukraine’s military capabilities. Ukraine clearly believes it can win and so
    does everyone here Austin added. On the ground Moscow is trying to gain total
    control over the region of Donbas and the southern part of Ukraine. Kiev mainly
    needs heavy artillery and armoured vehicles to repel the invaders.






    TENSION The Republic of Moldova wants a peaceful solution to the tensions
    in the breakaway region of Transdniester, the country’s president Maia Sandu
    says. Transdnister belongs to Moldova, president Sandu has said after a
    meeting of the Higher Security Council summoned after the latest incidents in
    the area which had been provoked by warmongers. Sandu has reiterated the
    Republic’s stand for peacefully settling the conflict in Transdniester and
    denied any attempt by Chisinau to set up an economic blocade in the pro-Russia
    breakaway region. Chisinau lost control over the breakaway region in 1992 less
    than a year since the ex-soviet country had proclaimed its independence, following
    an armed conflict, which ended after Russian troops intervened on the side of
    the separatists. Russia’s former president Boris Yeltsin pledged to pull out
    the troops from Transdniester at the OSCE summit in Istanbul in 1999. Roughly
    15 hundred Russian servicemen are still deployed in the region as well as significant
    quantities of military gear.






    LAW In Bucharest, the Offshore Bill is to be
    discussed this week by the specialised committee of the Senate, the first
    parliamentary chamber to vote on the act. The bill regulates the development of
    the natural gas reserves in the Black Sea, and stipulates that the Romanian
    state has pre-emptive rights to purchase these resources. The Senate is still
    waiting for the official opinion of the Economic and Social Council before
    discussing the bill, for which the leaders of the ruling coalition have taken
    responsibility. The Senate’s vote is expected to take place in May.






    REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police announced that
    the number of Ukrainian nationals that entered the country on Monday was 38.3%
    higher than on the previous day. According to a news release, 4,412 Ukrainian
    citizens entered Romania in 24 hours. Since the start of the crisis, over
    786,000 Ukrainian citizens have crossed the border into Romania. According to
    the Border Police, measures have been taken to reinforce border security.






    COVID-19 According to the latest figures released
    by the authorities in Bucharest, 724 COVID-19 infections have been reported in
    Romania in the past 24 hours as well as two related fatalities. Most of the
    cases, 123, have been reported in the country’s capital city, Bucharest. Over 1,200
    people are currently being treated in hospitals out of whom 224 in ICUs.






    (bill)

  • Eight million people immunized in Romania

    Eight million people immunized in Romania

    Romania has reached the threshold of 8 million people immunized with a least one dose of the anti-Covid vaccine, ranking last but one in the EU in this respect, with most of its population being reluctant to immunization. The number of people who get vaccinated at this period is small, in spite of Romania having has enough stocks of all vaccines approved in the EU. These vaccines were ordered, purchased and distributed via the European Union, and the country found itself in the position of having unused doses, which could have expired. For this reason, Romania sold or donated some of the surplus. The most recent such example is Germany having purchased from Romania 5 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, to speed up vaccination with the booster dose. These vaccines will be available in Germany starting January 24, according to German health authorities. Romania also sold or donated anti-Covid vaccines to countries like Denmark, the Republic of Moldova, South Korea, Egypt and Pakistan.



    Meanwhile, there is sustained community transmission of the Omicron variant in Romania, according to the National Statistics Institute. Almost half of the new cases had no contact with a person diagnosed with Covid. Some 203 cases of infection with Omicron were confirmed in the past week, this strain being identified in about two thirds of the sequenced samples. Romania now has one of the fastest growing numbers of new Covid-19 infections in Europe, but less than 4% of them require hospitalization, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila said. He also said that a new system was put in place, which allows patients to be tested and examined by general practitioners. Also, people with moderate forms of the disease can go to one of the 230 outpatient medical centers for investigations, X-ray and CT scans, depending on the case, and some of them will receive anti-viral medication or be referred to hospitals if they need oxygen or more complex medical care.



    The head of the Victor Babes Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Simin Florescu, has warned that the 5th pandemic wave is in full swing in Romania and that unvaccinated people are in danger. The number of hospitalizations is growing, having doubled from the previous days, Simin Florescu also said. (EE)


  • Growing interest in vaccination

    Growing interest in vaccination

    A major contribution to the
    steadily high rate of vaccination in Romania in recent days has been that of
    vaccination marathons. One of them, organised this past weekend in Bucharest-the
    city with the highest vaccination rate, but also the largest number of daily
    new cases-ran in 6 centres located in all sectors of the capital. And the
    figures at the end of each day significantly surpassed the rate reported as
    late, when growing numbers of people were already showing up in vaccination
    centres, fearing the large numbers of deaths, infections and patients in
    hospitals.




    The proportion of
    citizens over 18 who have got the vaccine in Romania has reached 40%, the head
    of the national vaccination programme Valeriu Gheorghiță announced, and added
    that similar events will be held in the forthcoming period so as to make sure
    that 70% of the population has been vaccinated by year-end:




    Valeriu Gheorghiță: Every weekend we will hold
    a vaccination marathon in Bucharest, after we have identified a vaccination
    centre with extended working hours. This gives us reason to hope that by the
    end of the year we will reach that immunisation threshold through vaccination. I
    am using this opportunity to invite all medical schools in the country and all
    the county Public Health Directorates to organise such events in all major
    cities. Over the past few days we have gradually opened new vaccination units,
    and we hope that in the forthcoming period we will get to more than 150,000 or
    even 200,000 doses administered every day.




    During the 3 days of the vaccination marathon in Bucharest, people proved
    to be open to vaccination when we opened towards them. Such events need to be
    replicated in smaller towns as well, said the interim health minister Cseke
    Attila.




    Meanwhile, on Monday
    and Tuesday another vaccination marathon was organised in 6 military hospitals
    that are also regional storage centres for anti-COVID vaccines. Keeping the centres in Constanța, Cluj-Napoca, Iași,
    Craiova, Brașov and Timișoara open around the clock is one of the means by
    which the National Defence Ministry chose to celebrate Army Day this year.




    Experts and authorities
    around the world reiterate that vaccination is the only way to put an end to
    the pandemic. Meanwhile, in Brussels, the European Commission put together a portfolio
    of 10 most efficient treatments against COVID-19. Organised into 3 categories-antiviral monoclonal
    antibodies, which are most effective
    in the earliest stages of infection, oral antivirals for
    use as quickly as possible after the infection,
    and immunomodulators
    to treat hospitalised patients-these products will be available across the EU
    as soon as the European Medicines Agency has confirmed their efficacy. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • October 15, 2021

    October 15, 2021

    COVID-19 Romania has run out of places
    in its ICU’s treating Covid -19 infections. 17,600 people are currently being
    treated in hospitals around the country out of which 17 hundred are in
    intensive care. The Defence Ministry has decided to increase the number of beds
    in all military hospitals across the country. Romania’s interim Health
    Minister, Cseke Attila, has announced that more ICUs will be added to
    Bucharest, which presently has scores of severe cases. According to him, 8
    infected patients have already been transferred to clinics in Hungary and the
    transfer of infected patients is going to continue today. Also today the
    National Committee for Emergency situations is expected to make a decision upon
    the proposal of the National Public Health Institute (INSP) over instating
    quarantine in Bucharest and its surroundings, which yesterday reported roughly
    4 thousand new cases. The INSP recommends that all activities be interrupted in
    these localities and circulation restricted for two weeks to limit the rapid
    spread of the virus. The Prime Minister says that he is not considering such a
    solution for the moment but an alternative solution that would be imposing the
    green certificate in the institutions which have an increased contact with
    people.






    TALKS Romania’s Prime Minister
    designate, Dacian Ciolos, is today having a new round of talks in an attempt to
    rebuild the ruling coalition with the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the
    Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). The first round of talks
    ended with no concrete result and Ciolos announced his plan B: a USR ruling
    programme as well as a list of ministers for the new cabinet, which he intends
    to present to Parliament next week. The interim Prime Minister and PNL leader
    Florin Citu says that the coalition cannot be rebuilt but around the PNL. He
    continues to criticize the USR for its contribution to dismantling the
    country’s government during the pandemic saying, quote, ‘the USR must admit its
    mistake and we must move further’ unquote. The USR, number two in the former
    ruling coalition, has made new appeals to responsibility concerning the PNL and
    UDMR. Kelemen Hunor, the head of the UDMR, said after the first round of talks
    that the goal at this moment is the solution to the present pressing issues,
    namely the pandemic, the energy prices, inflation and the National Plan of
    Recovery and Resilience, either in a government formula or another. The main
    opposition party PSD says that Romania needs snap elections, and that a
    technocratic government can handle the medical crisis and the country’s economy
    until those elections.






    GAMING Romanian capital Bucharest is these days playing
    venue for the world’s major electronic games competition Dota 2’s. The event
    will culminate with the grand finale on October 17th involving the
    participation of the world’s best sides out of the 18 participating. According
    to organizers, the tournament will be available online to 10 million
    spectators. Romania is going to receive 16% out of the total prizes of 40
    million dollars. The World Gaming Championship, which is being hosted by the
    National Arena in Bucharest, is going without spectators this year due to the
    Covid-19 pandemic.






    ATTACK A man suspected of having
    killed 5 people in Norway by shooting arrows at them is to be brought before
    court today. Espen Andersen Brathenl is a Danish citizen who converted to Islam
    and lives in the city of Kongsberg, where he committed the crimes. According to
    sources he has admitted his crime, which the authorities have described as a
    terror attack. Bratheln has also served convictions in the past.




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  • The danger of the Delta variant

    The danger of the Delta variant

    The number of new infections with SARS-Cov-2 has almost tripled in two weeks alone in Romania. A record number of cases has been reported, putting pressure on intensive care units which are already full in many medical units. Little over 800 hospital beds are currently available for patients in critical condition, and almost all have already been occupied. Authorities are struggling to double the number of hospital beds, as thousands of people infected are being treated in medical units and their number keeps growing. Among them are minors, some of them with severe symptoms.



    The National Public Health Institute has announced that the Delta variant of the virus is more and more frequent, accounting for over 40% of infections and is expected to spread fast. Coronavirus hotbeds have also been reported and additional protection measures have been taken in a number of localities, after an alarming increase in the number of cases. According to the head of the mass vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghita, the Delta variant spreads faster than previous variants, which makes authorities expect an overwhelming number of infections. According to statistics, one in two Romanians is vulnerable to the virus, for not being vaccinated or nor having had the disease.



    The main danger is the fact that the Delta variant spreads faster and generates more severe forms of the disease, affecting mostly people who have not been vaccinated. Valeriu Gheorghita: “Unfortunately, we see an increasing number of people who need intensive care in a rather short time, which is worrying from my viewpoint. Of the people diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, over 80% of those infected and more than 92% of those who died from it, did not get immunized.”



    Authorities say that under these circumstances, vaccination, mask wearing and avoiding crowded places continue to be the best protection measures against the disease. Valeriu Gheorghita hopes that a third dose of the anti-Covid vaccine will be administered as of October, following a decision of the European Medicine Agency. The pace of the mass vaccination campaign in Romania continues to be slow, in spite of numerous calls for vaccination from experts and authorities. A little over 5.2 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated, which is one third of the eligible population. (EE)

  • The Priorities of Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan

    The Priorities of Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan

    The centre-to-right coalition government in
    Bucharest on June 2nd made public the National Recovery and
    Resilience Plan PNRR – about 12 hundred pages sent to the EU with measures,
    which would allow Romania to attract 29 billion euros worth of EU funds. This
    money, which Romania can get as loans or subsidies is part of a major plan of
    672 billion euros designed by Brussels so that all the member states can
    overcome the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Authorities in Romania
    want to use some of the money to build over 400 kilometers of motorway,
    hundreds of schools and kindergartens and refurbish many hospitals.




    In fact, the transport infrastructure,
    Education and Healthcare are going to receive most of the funds. The plan also
    contains provisions for some environment activities such as reforestations or
    an improved waste management. According to Prime Minister Florin Citu, all the
    loans Romania is going to get by means of PNRR will be used for investment.




    Florin Citu: We must get loans to
    invest in Romania as we need to build motorways, hospitals, schools, and the
    loans we get by means of this PNRR are at a low interest rate, close to zero.
    Germany, Spain, Italy, countries from the Eurozone, are getting loans at this
    rate. The fact that we can get loans at such a low interest rate and invest
    them is a good thing for Romania.




    Deputy prime
    ministers Dan Barna and Kelemen Hunor have underlined that key sectors will
    significantly change and that all communities, irrespective of the region will
    be equitably and fairly supported. On the other hand, Lucian Romascanu,
    spokesman for the opposition PSD, believes that on the contrary, the projects
    included in the PNRR will be causing new imbalances.




    Lucian Romascanu: We don’t have anything when it comes to motorways, rail
    roads, irrigation systems or gas networks, and that situation is condemning
    Romania to underdevelopment. We are going to have a country which is developed
    unequally, right at a time when we can give it a new look by properly using
    these funds.




    The plan also contains a series of reforms in
    terms of pensions, justice, state companies and the payment of the personnel in
    the public system. While the government says that it wants to recalculate
    pensions, the opposition PSD has referred to the former’s intention to increase
    the pension age, implement austerity measures and freeze incomes.




    According to the Social-Democrats, the poverty
    of the Romanians and the dropping standard of living are the only certitudes of
    the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience. According to the Minister of Investment and
    European Projects, Cristian Ghinea in the next period Bucharest is waiting for the
    official assessment of this plan in Brussels and for its approval. From that
    moment on the ways of implementing the aforementioned plan belong exclusively
    to Romania.


    (bill)





  • From Covid hospitals to vaccination

    From Covid hospitals to vaccination

    One of
    the controversial issues confronting the Romanian society during the pandemic
    is the one concerning the access to the medical services of the patients
    suffering from other conditions than the Covid-19 infection. Their access to
    these services has been limited in this period when the system was trying to
    cope with the new challenges, turning a series of hospitals into specialized facilities
    aimed at treating those infected also hindering the activity of the medical
    personnel due to the anti-Covid protocols.




    The situation
    proved to be a real challenge for a frail medical system like Romania’s. In the
    past year, the Covid hospitals have exclusively treated those infected and it is
    high time now we change this concept, the opposition Social Democrat MP Alexandru
    Rafila said at the meeting his party had with representatives of the main
    patients organisations and trade unions in Romania’s healthcare sector.




    According
    to doctor Rafila, all those attending the meeting have agreed on the need for
    the conclusion of a national agreement in the country’s healthcare sector
    backed by all the political groups and civil society.




    Alexandru Rafila: Obviously, patients organisations want an
    easy and sure access to healthcare services and medicine. Maybe it’s the right
    time for Romania to change this concept as it is happening in other EU
    countries where hospitals are treating patients separately in order to increase
    access to healthcare services. I believe that a National Agreement in the
    country’s healthcare system would be ideal and make a good example for other
    fields of activity.


    In turn,
    a representative of the patients has underlined the fact that during the
    pandemic, those with chronic conditions were being neglected by the public
    healthcare sector and this situation has to be improved.




    In
    another development, the head of the national Committee for the Coordination of
    the anti-Covid Vaccination, physician Valeriu Gheorghiţă, estimated that the
    third leg of the immunization campaign destined for the population is due to
    kick off in April unless there are more delays in the supply chain. Gheorghita
    explained that it is important for the authorities to implement the principle
    of 75%, making doses available to the vulnerable population, people with
    chronic conditions, the elderly and for 25% of the people working in the
    country’s key sectors. According to Gheorghita, 750 centers totaling roughly
    1760 vaccination points have been made available for the immunization of people,
    able to provide 100 thousand daily doses at full capacity.


    (bill)





  • Volunteers for the healthcare system

    Volunteers for the healthcare system

    The pressure on healthcare systems is huge at present, all over the world. The insufficient staff and the level of exhaustion of the medical personnel in the context of the coronavirus pandemic have prompted the Bucharest Government to pass an emergency order that regulates volunteer work in medical units. The volunteer students will receive around 500 euros for at least 120 hours of activity in a month. According to the Government, the pressure on the healthcare system is not only caused by the big number of people who test positive to the virus. There is also a reduced capacity to assist patients due to a shortage in medical personnel, triggered by their exposure to and catching of the virus and the small number of specialist staff. According to the authorities, the main structures affected by insufficient staff are the ICUs, ERs, epidemiology, radiology, infectious diseases and pulmonary units.



    Other institutions playing a role in the management of the medical crisis generated by the pandemic also face difficulties. Thus, following the adoption of the emergency order regulating volunteer work in medical units and emergency services, 6th year medical students can do volunteer work during the state of alert and 30 days after the state of alert is lifted. The first orders regarding the distribution of volunteer workers have been already signed. Almost 2000 medical students have signed up for volunteer work and one third of them has already been distributed to 25 hospitals in counties. More such orders will be signed in the upcoming days, in the context of a rising number of requests for additional staff in many localities.



    The Public Health Administration in the north-eastern city of Iasi has already called on volunteers and NGOs to ensure the transport of the medical staff taking samples for Covid testing, to the people isolated at home. The number of requests for testing has increased almost five times in Iasi lately, and the ambulances can hardly cope with the situation. Against this background, the Bucharest Government gave assurances that efforts are being made to fight the pandemic and to mobilise the entire society so that we can overcome this difficult situation. (Translated by Elena Enache)




  • Romanian hospitals, in a dire situation

    Romanian hospitals, in a dire situation

    Hospitals in Romania will increase their ICU capacity this week and the Government will allocate the necessary funds so that activity of the emergency care units unfolds smoothly, PM Ludovic Orban said after consultations with Health Minister Nelu Tataru. The two officials also talked about Sunday’s tragedy in Piatra Neamt. Ludovic Orban: ”The plan for this week includes an increase in intensive care capacity by at least 200 beds. We have found solutions for each region. We also discussed several solutions for Bucharest. We decided to provide all necessary equipment where new ICUs can be opened. Also, we try to find the resources to do all these things as soon as possible. ”



    The PM has also announced that a conformity plan will be drawn up and presented to hospital managers: ”We monitor the observance of regulations as regads the functioning of ICUs. We discussed the possibility to cover all these costs through non-repayable European financing. As regards increasing the capacity of ICUs, we have discussed in detail the situation in each county. We will be able to treat more patients, including by turning some units into support hospitals.”



    In his turn, Health Minister Minister Tataru has announced that another two medical units in Bucharest will become support hospitals. He has also said that the authorities’ main effort at present is directed towards increasing the ICU capacity to accommodate patients. He has explained that a forced modernisation of hospitals was made this year and that authorities have to make sure that safety measures have been also met.



    Following the fire at the hospital in Piatra Neamt, joint teams from the Public Health Directorate and the county inspectorates for emergency situations are carrying out an assessment, as of Monday, in all intensive care units, checking all gas supplying installations and their compliance with the regulations in place with respect to patients and staff safety. Checks conducted so far have revealed that there are counties in Romania where hospitals do not have a fire security license. Trade union federation SANITAS, representing healthcare workers, has warned that the tragedy in Piatra Neamt can repeat anywhere in the country, due to the obsolete equipment and the exhausted staff. Romania has registered new negative records these days, due to Covid-19, and hospitals are under huge pressure. (Translated by Elena Enache)







  • Romania rules out total shutdown

    Romania rules out total shutdown

    The health crisis deepens in Romania, where the number of infections increases by the day. Authorities are looking for solutions to limit the spread of the virus and to properly treat patients, while the healthcare system is under huge pressure. A 14-day lockdown has been imposed in several localities. Health Minister Nelu Tataru has explained that avoiding lockdown is possible only if people protect themselves by observing the restrictions in force.



    Nelu Tataru: ”Every locality is evaluated separately and its particularities are taken into account. As you can see, in terms of number of new infections, we exclude the hotbeds in care centers for the elderly, for children and for mental patients, which are already under quarantine. When we see community transmission which is not connected to a hotbed, we consider lockdown, but only after we impose restrictions. Restrictions are aimed to decrease the number of new infections.”



    The Health Minister also said that in the case of a big city where many tests are conducted and the number of people who test positive is high, toughening restrictions is preferred over lockdown, provided that the city has hospitals or medical units able to deal with the situation. Nelu Tataru does not believe there will be a total shutdown in Romania before the parliamentary elections due on December 6. He has also explained that intensive care units need more beds and that their number will be supplemented in the counties of Cluj and Sibiu, which are dealing with a big number of cases. The medical units’ capacity to receive patients with mild symptoms will also be increased. Tataru said that emergency units are overcrowded but that, by using rapid tests in the upcoming period, will ease some of the pressure. A first transport of 43 thousand such tests is already being distributed to hospitals.



    The medical staff in hospitals, general practitioners, the Department for Emergencies and the military will help with the anti-Covid vaccination, according to Minister Tataru. Health workers and people at highest risk of the disease will be the first immunized, early next year while the rest of the population may receive the vaccine some time next spring. Also, the Romanian official said that in the current stage of the epidemic, kindergartens and schools will remain closed, until the number of cases starts to drop. (Translated by Elena Enache)