The European Commission (EC) has approved the transfer of EUR 522 million in EU funds to support the completion of nine new hospitals in Romania, health minister Alexandru Rogobete announced. The projects have been moved from Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) to the Health Programme 2021-2027 to ensure construction works continue.

“After months of technical work and negotiations with European institutions, the efforts that began last August have now reached a concrete result. In the coming period, we will sign the new financing contracts, allowing construction work to continue at an accelerated pace,” minister Rogobete said in a Facebook post.

The hospitals benefiting from the funding include the Emergency County Hospitals in Oradea, Alba Iulia, Bacău, Argeș, Vaslui, and Giurgiu, as well as the Regional Institute of Oncology in Timișoara, the “Dr. Ion Jianu” Military Emergency Hospital in Pitești, and the “Prof. Dr. Dimitrie Gerota” Emergency Hospital in Bucharest.

Alexandru Rogobete said that, alongside these projects, eight other hospitals financed through the PNRR are already in advanced stages of implementation, with the Emergency County Hospital in Bistrița-Năsăud already completed and operational. 

Three specialized burn treatment centers are also nearing completion, while construction is advancing rapidly at the Regional Emergency Hospital in Craiova.

“In total, we are talking about 21 new hospitals for Romania, all launched in parallel in 2022,” the minister said.

Separately, EC executive vice-president Roxana Mînzatu confirmed that the funding transfer was approved to ensure Romania can finalize the nine hospitals. The change also extends the eligibility period for the Health Programme from December 31, 2029, to December 31, 2030.

Mînzatu also announced a new EUR 16.1 million measure within EU-funded programmes aimed at supporting in vitro fertilization treatments for vulnerable groups, as part of broader efforts to improve access to healthcare services.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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