Romania’s labor minister resigns amid major investigation into abuses at care homes for the elderly

Romania’s labor minister Marius Budai decided to resign on Thursday, July 13, amid a major investigation that revealed maltreatment at care homes for the elderly. According to News.ro, he submitted his resignation to the prime minister’s chancellery.

Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu confirmed Budai’s decision at the beginning of the government meeting on Thursday morning, saying it is “the natural reaction of a political decision-maker, in such a crisis and in any consolidated democracy of Europe.” He also called it a “gesture of honor.”

The scandal erupted early this month when raids at nursing homes near Bucharest uncovered inhumane conditions and abused elderly people. The local media nicknamed these centers “the horror care homes.” The old and vulnerable housed in these nursing homes were beaten, humiliated, and malnourished, the investigation found.

Hundreds of other such centers have been checked since then, following the government’s call to review all these institutions in the country, and several were closed or fined. In addition, several managers of responsible institutions have been fired.

Marius Budai said right after the outbreak of the scandal that he had no authority to close the homes for the elderly and no reason to resign. The minister for the family, Gabriela Firea, said the same thing, according to Biziday.ro. Firea, who is married to the mayor of Voluntari - where some of the care homes are located, is also under fire in this case, with many saying she should also resign.

The Ministry of Labor has several verification and control institutions under its command, which reportedly failed to check the way the centers in Voluntari treated the elderly. In fact, the ministry was reportedly notified about the abuses at the nursing homes since the beginning of the year but did not intervene,