National Integrity Agency: Romanian doctor from regional emergency hospital cannot justify EUR 0.5 mln wealth

A doctor from the Valcea Emergency Hospital is unable to justify a wealth of about EUR 0.5 million, the National Integrity Agency (ANI) has ruled. The ANI found that doctor Ilie Petrescu had a difference of about EUR 0.5 million between his wealth and his revenues while being chief of section at the Valcea Emergency hospital. Between February 2007 and December 2011, the doctor's revenues were of some EUR 160,000, but his wealth at the end of the period was in fact of more than EUR 580,000. The ANI has already notified the commission which checks personal wealth within the Pitesti Court of Appeal in order to investigate how the doctor earned the extra money. In Romania, unofficial payments to doctors are quite frequent. The authorities recently introduced the co-payment system, which includes a payment made by patients on top of their regular contributions to the public health fund. The co-payment system is expected to help reduce the number and level of informal payments to doctors. Romania's doctors have often complained of their low salaries and the country has been subject to a brain drain, with many doctors choosing to go abroad to work, where salaries are higher. editor@romania-insider.com