Romania’s healthcare system still in very poor condition, report shows

Romania’s healthcare system continues to be in a very poor shape. The country ranks last in the Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI), for the second year in a row. The EHCI is the leading annual comparison for assessing the performance of national healthcare systems. It analyses national healthcare on 46 indicators grouped in areas such as patient rights and information, access to care, treatment outcomes, range and reach of services, prevention and use of pharmaceuticals, ranking countries based on their scores (from a minimum 333 to a maximum 1000). Romania is ranked 34th, last among the countries included in the report, with a score of 439 points. It scored low for most of the important indicators taken into account for the ranking, including patient rights and information, accessibility (waiting times for treatment), treatment outcomes, range and reach of services provided, and prevention. “Romania does have severe problems with the management of its entire public sector. In healthcare, discrimination of minority groups such as Roma (3½ - 4% of the population) shows as poor Outcomes ratios, which in the EHCI 2017 is unfortunately punished harder than in previous editions,” reads the report. “Also, Albania, Romania and Bulgaria are suffering from an antiquated healthcare structure, with a high and costly ratio of in-patient care over out-patient care.” Neighboring Bulgaria’s healthcare system is slightly better than Romania’s, the country ranking 33rd in the index, while Greece is ranked 32nd and Lithuania 31st. The full EHCI 2017 report is available here. Healthcare in Romania: lowest per capita spending in the EU, high amenable mortality Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com