Actors on the EU internal market warn that the Romanian health system is close to facing a blockage. Inner tensions arise in a context where there is a global talk about drugs crisis, according to several international studies and reports.
To be more specific, multinational drug producers face cost explosion for research and development. Plus, the governmental support dropped significantly with the start of the financial crisis. Many hospitals have to manage state subsidies issues and the insurance systems are going through reforms that challenge them to a large extent. The US and the European Union have to put up with such problems, and Romania is no stranger either.
According to the Cegedim research campaign, Romania ranks last in the European Union regarding total spending (public and private funds) in the Health system in 2008 - 473 dollars per capita, one of the lowest positions in Europe, being only above Ukraine and Belarus.
According to the Romanian Academic Society (SAR), here are Romania's Health system main issues:
- chronic under-finance;
- public spending - 4.2% of the 2008 GDP - represents half of the EU-15 spending - 7.3% of the GDP;
- medicine funds, per person - 100 euros in Romania, against the 430 euros, the EU mean;
- drugs access is different in the rural areas compared with the cities and is also different for poor people in comparison with the rich;
- subsidised medicine spending represents under 10% from the public resources consumption;
- Romania reserved this year the smallest budget for health in the last nine years: 3.2% of the GDP. This is roughly 30% less than last year.
Health officials are raising the question on the authorities' priority regarding funds: medicine or medical services? It is also now that a citizen initiative has been launched, demanding 6% of the GDP for Health in 2010. It regards a law project, promoted after 200,000 signatures have been raised, proposing almost double the sum allocated this year for the Health sector.
