Health reform provisions on private operators for emergency services stir debate in Romania

The Romanian Government opened at the end of 2011 a draft law on health reform for public debate that, if implemented, will radically change the nature of healthcare in Romania. This triggered heated discussions and the resignation in protest of Raed Arafat as Secretary of State in Romania’s Health Ministry, after he openly condemned the draft law’s changes on emergency medical care. The main objection was against allowing private medical operators to run their own ambulance service, which should offer free emergency services, as a competition to the state run emergency services. Read more about Raed Arafat's resignation here. The main provisions of the draft on emergency medical system reform include: -the ministries and other institutions with their own healthcare network can manage their own ambulance services. The organization will be under rules approved by the ministry or the institution that manages the ambulance service, with the Ministry of Health’s approval -medical care within the national system of emergency will be coordinated by the specialized medical dispatches, using the national dedicated emergency call network -hospitals can operate their own medical transport units, for inter-clinic transport of patients, and for critically ill newborns -medical care will be given to all patients; insured or not -hospitals within the health insurance system will be required to admit transferred critically ill patients, if the hospital or center where the patients are does not have the necessary human resources and/or materials to give proper emergency assistance and if transfer is necessary to save a patient’s life -healthcare providers within the national emergency healthcare system can purchase equipment, special vehicles and other means of direct intervention in leasing or loans with funds from their own budget and/or the state budget, as well as other sources provided by law, including donations and sponsorships The draft law on health reform will be up for public debate until January 28. Read more on the Ministry of Health’s website here. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (photo source: Sxc.hu)