Romania orders inspections at about 25 outpatient clinics after patient complaints

Joint inspections ordered

Health minister Alexandru Rogobete announced on Thursday, 12 November, that he had signed orders for joint checks at about 25 locations in Romania. The inspections will be carried out by the control body of the Ministry of Health and the control body of the National Health Insurance House (Casa Națională de Asigurări de Sănătate). They will cover public and private outpatient clinics in 13 cities: Brasov, Alba Iulia, Sibiu, Iasi, Arad, Timisoara, Bucharest, Ploiesti, Pitesti, Buzau, Baia Mare, Constanta and Targu Mures. Rogobete thanked patients who had written to him, including through the ministry's official address, for reporting irregularities. He said confirmed problems would lead to concrete measures and sanctions for deviations.

“It is not a witch hunt! We are not trying to put pressure on medical staff, but to identify irregularities and sanction deviations where they are confirmed.”

Patient complaints and a suspected blockage

Rogobete first raised the issue on 6 November at the Adevărul Interviews, where he said he had received many complaints from patients unable to obtain appointments at specialist outpatient clinics. He also said he had phoned hospitals in Timisoara, Craiova, Constanta, Sibiu, Bucharest and Iasi to see the situation for himself. He found that conditions differed from one hospital to another. He cited a modern telephone switchboard in Constanta that gave callers a waiting time and booked an appointment for the next day. Adevărul reported that the minister suspects some hospitals artificially block places in outpatient clinics.

Rare disease expertise centres

On the same day, Rogobete announced the certification of four new centres of expertise for rare diseases in Timisoara, Iasi, Craiova and Cluj-Napoca. The national network now comprises 85 officially recognised centres. Three of the new centres specialise in rare neurological diseases, one each in Timisoara, at the Prof. Dr. N. Oblu Emergency Clinical Hospital in Iasi, and at the Clinical Neuropsychiatry Hospital in Craiova. The fourth, at the Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță Oncology Institute in Cluj-Napoca, covers rare diseases linked to a predisposition to cancer. According to the minister, each centre was assessed on professional competence, staff experience and its capacity to provide specialised care. He recalled that in his previous mandate he had signed the certification of 14 other centres.

“Rare diseases mean complex medical cases, which need specialised expertise, multidisciplinary teams and a clear patient pathway, from diagnosis to treatment and monitoring.”