Romanian opposition party wants to abolish widespread practice of “money gifts” for doctors

The opposition party Save Romania Union (USR) wants to eliminate the widespread practice of offering “money gifts” to doctors. It submitted to the Senate a draft bill providing that a patient can give donations only to the health care unit where he was taken care of, and not to doctors. Moreover, the donations are to be displayed monthly on a web page created by the Ministry of Health, reports local Mediafax. Although according to an article of the current patient rights law the patient may offer extra-payments or donations to the employees or to the unit where he was taken care of, in accordance to the law, the High Court stated that “the act of a physician hired under a contract of employment in a hospital unit in the public health system to receive additional payments or donations from patients does not constitute an exercise of a right recognized by law,” and he may legally answer for it, according to the draft bill’s initiators. In other words, although patients are allowed to give extra-payments or donations to doctors, the physicians are not allowed to receive them. USR says that “the right to gratitude” can’t be considered a valid argument in favor of maintaining this widespread practice of offering “money gifts” to doctors. The Chamber of Deputies will have the final say on this bill. Romanian doctor to stand trial for 185 counts of bribery Romanian doctor detained after taking 19 bribes in one day Speed record: A Romanian doctor was receiving 10 bribes per minute Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com