The Romanian Government has approved an emergency ordinance on the decentralisation of the health system, Health minister Cseke Attila announced on Wednesday. He said the management of 373 hospitals across the country would be transferred under the authority of local public administration officials, with only 62 hospitals remaining in the responsibility of the Health Ministry.

The 62 are national interest units or emergency hospitals.

The minister said that a two-headed system was in place now, meaning that local authorities have control of hospital buildings, while the management is in the subordination of the ministry. Following the decentralisation, the management of hospitals would be passed to the local authorities of the respective areas "no matter the political colour", he said.