Rogobete's accusations

Alexandru Rogobete, former Health Minister and current PSD deputy, launched a sharp attack on interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan on 23 July 2026. In a series of Facebook posts, Rogobete accused Bolojan of "attacking the healthcare system again" and pushing for a 10% reduction in medical staff incomes. He said the system is underfunded, with Romania allocating the lowest share of GDP to health in the European Union, and faces a staff deficit of over 36,000 people.

“This is not reform, it's crime. Reform in healthcare cannot be done at any cost. Today, it risks being done at the cost of people's lives.”

Rogobete argued that savings should come from eliminating waste and more efficient administration, not from cutting personnel spending in an already strained system. He recalled that in January he had opposed a similar 10% salary cut, and the healthcare sector was eventually exempted.

Bolojan's denial and the office meeting

Earlier on 23 July, Bolojan told a press conference that no such proposal had reached the government meeting. "In the government meeting, no such material arrived," he said, adding that he did not know what Rogobete was referring to.

Rogobete fired back, insisting the two had discussed the issues face-to-face in the prime minister's office at Victoria Palace. He said he told Bolojan he could not accept the 10% income cut and that the system needed hiring, not layoffs. He also mentioned that 13 radiology centres had been built but remain unstaffed because salaries are too low. The same conversation, he said, took place with Oana Gheorghiu before she became vice-premier, and she had agreed.

“I remind you that we discussed all these things right in your office. I told you I cannot accept a 10% reduction in medical staff incomes. I told you the system is underfunded and needs hiring, not layoffs.”

Amendment to exempt healthcare hiring

On the morning of 23 July, Rogobete and fellow PSD parliamentarians submitted an amendment to permanently exempt healthcare posts from the government's hiring freeze. The proposal would allow hospitals and ambulance services to hire whenever there is a real need, not through temporary derogations or memoranda dependent on government will. The amendment is scheduled for debate next week in the Health Committee, followed by a parliamentary vote.

“We are not proposing a new temporary derogation or a memorandum that depends on the will of a government. We propose a clear and permanent solution: hospitals and ambulance services should be able to hire staff whenever there is a real need.”

Rogobete stressed that building new hospitals and buying state-of-the-art equipment is pointless without enough doctors, nurses, and auxiliary staff. He said he had repeatedly requested the unblocking of posts, especially in critical departments, but was refused.

Strike and staff exhaustion

The dispute comes days after a warning strike by the SANITAS federation on 21 July, which involved employees from over 480 healthcare units across the country. Union members protested provisions in the new salary law and other measures they say affect incomes and working conditions. Rogobete visited hospitals in Târgu Mureș and Cluj, describing staff as "at the limit of exhaustion," working back-to-back shifts and caring for too many patients per shift.

“Everywhere I see the same thing: people at the limit of exhaustion, who continue to care for patients with professionalism, even though they lack colleagues, do shift after shift, and carry an entire system on their shoulders.”

He warned that further pressure could trigger a new wave of medical professionals leaving for other countries, leaving hospitals emptier and patients waiting longer.