Romania's health ministry warns emergency care could stall without a budget revision

A deadline measured in weeks

Interim health minister Cseke Attila told a press conference on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, that the health system faces a high risk of breakdown within two to three weeks unless the budget is revised. He is in the sixth month of an interim mandate, and the ministry has already moved money between budget lines to keep emergency units and ambulances running, including at the emergency units in Floreasca and Târgu Mureș. The ministry says it has used every legal lever available to it, and those internal transfers are now exhausted, leaving a budget revision as the only remaining route.

In two-three weeks, if no budget revision is made, the functioning of the Romanian medical system will enter a high risk of non-functioning.

The November shortfall

About 800 million lei is needed by the end of the year, and 227 million lei must be allocated by the beginning of November at the latest. Of the November sum, 102 million lei covers salaries at emergency reception units (UPU), 44 million lei covers materials, mainly medicines, at those units, 25 million lei covers materials for the ambulance service, and 56 million lei completes funding for the National HIV/AIDS Programme.

Cseke Attila said that without these funds, emergency units and ambulances risk being unable to fulfil their role as public health services. Under the law, an interim minister cannot adopt new public policies or release safety reserves on his own. He put the limit of his powers plainly.

It can no longer wait. The health minister, interim or with a full mandate, no longer has the power to move money between budget lines.

Year-end funding and CNAS

The National Health Insurance House (CNAS) covered October by transferring 5.4 billion lei in budget credits on 9 October and 6 billion lei in commitment credits on 12 October, both to territorial units. No funds exist for November and December without an intervention from the state budget. CNAS needs 6.4 billion lei by year end to pay hospitals, compensated medicines and national health programmes. Part of the gap could be closed by releasing the 10% reserve that the Public Finance Law requires budget credit holders to keep, which would free 4.4 billion lei if a government with full powers approves the revision.

Former minister and political deadlock

Former health minister Alexandru Rogobete, a PSD politician, estimates the funding need for the final months of the year at about 8 billion lei, covering spending plus arrears owed to healthcare providers and pharmacies. He stressed that emergency care falls under national security, and recalled that during his mandate money had to be redistributed within 24 hours to handle mass-casualty events. He also opposed early elections, which he said could not be held before February to April 2027 at the earliest.

For the health system, but not only for the health system, in general for the economy and the administrative functioning of the country, it would be a disaster.

Union estimates

The Sanitas union warns that health and social assistance risk running out of money for salaries, fuel, medicines and continued investment. Its estimates include 360 million lei the ministry must transfer to CNAS for October, and 578 million lei for emergency services in November and December. The union adds 641 million lei to finish health investments already begun and over 161 million lei for social assistance units in 14 counties to keep operating. Sanitas calls on parliamentary parties to form urgently a government with full powers, saying patients cannot wait for political talks to end and ambulances cannot leave for calls without fuel.