After a discussion with the Minister of Health, patient associations in Romania hope that we will reach an option that will improve things for those who need imaging investigations and who are now waiting for months to benefit from them for free. Minister Alexandru Rogobete is thinking about an online, interactive map with the distribution of MRI, CT or mammogram machines. “So that patients can see and know in which public health facility they can make an appointment”explained for truth Rozalina Lăpădatu, president of the Association of Patients with Autoimmune Diseases.
New imaging machines, but patients don’t know they exist
“What he told us is that in recent years a lot of medical equipment has been bought for hospitals. There are hundreds of devices bought and distributed all over the country, in public hospitals, and the patients don’t know about them. Starting from here, he realized that there was a problem: it’s for nothing to approve these purchases if people don’t have access to them. Because I don’t know they exist or because there is no scheduling system,” elaborated Rozalina Lăpădatu after the discussion with the Minister of Health.
With just a few clicks, those who need to do medical imaging investigations would find out in which hospital the device they need is located.
“People tend to go to the county hospital, to big hospitals, and there are other smaller, city hospitals that benefit from the same facilities, but which people don’t know about”.
In addition to the map, there could also be an online scheduling system.
“I understood that there will also be an online appointment system, so you can make an appointment with a doctor transparently, without making 50 phone calls and messages to acquaintances, files and relationships. And then, the same thing must be done in the imaging area: people should know where to find these machines, there should be an online scheduling method”says the president of the patient association.
The idea of the map started from an application in which you can see the hospitals and private clinics where you can do mammography for free, in each county, developed by FABC (Federation of Associations of Cancer Patients).
what is happening now
At the moment, those who need imaging investigations have to wait months to get them for free, as they are entitled to after paying health contributions.
“In two, three, four months. It depends on where you are and where you are going. One of the problems is that you don’t know where funds are still available and where they aren’t. And you tend to go to a place where the funds are used up for the next two to three months, but two blocks away there is an institution that has funds, but you don’t know that they have a device.” draws attention to Rozalina Lăpădatu.
Imaging investigations are mandatory so that doctors can make a diagnosis and prescribe the necessary treatment. Any delay can be harmful to patients.
“If you have breast cancer and wait four months for a mammogram, you have lost four months of diagnosis and treatment that could make your life easier. So you go to the doctor in a much more advanced form and things are more complicated.” emphasizes patient representation.
We also asked her what she knows about when the map could become a reality:
“The minister seems very determined. It seems that the digitization funds in the PNRR include what we discussed. And we hope that this year we already have a map”.
Other measures discussed
During the discussion at the Ministry of Health, other problems faced by people in need of medical services in Romania were analyzed.
Patient associations have drawn attention to the need to raise the ceiling for certain medical investigations.
“One of the solutions was the creation of analysis packages for each pathology. It’s quite easy to do, because in the therapeutic protocols they are presented, what analyzes the patient must do for the respective condition”, detailed Rozalina Lăpădatu.
There was also talk about a situation that makes life difficult for patients and puts unnecessary pressure on the system: mandatory day hospitalization just for picking up some medical products.
“For example, in the case of type I diabetes, to pick up supplies for glucose sensors and insulin pumps. These supplies should be on the open circuit, not on the day hospital, wasting the patient’s time in the hospital, says the president of the Association of Patients with Autoimmune Diseases.
Alexandru Rogobete also spoke about this anomaly, on the Facebook page:
“This does not mean medical care. It means bureaucracy that consumes time, energy and trust. The solution is logical and simple: the release of sensors and consumables in an open circuit, with the intervention of the doctor where the medical act requires it”.
The minister also spoke about “the elimination of the referral ticket for day hospitalization in the case of chronic patients already diagnosed and monitored, including serious diseases such as multiple sclerosis”.
“I appreciated the minister’s openness to dialogue. Even if some topics were discussed adversarially, the fact that he had the patience to listen to our arguments and understand our position, and in certain situations even to prove us right. And let’s hope that this will continue, because in the medical system there are many, many situations and they need to be solved, they have been training for years”says Rozalina Lăpădatu.
The problems faced by Romanian patients will be discussed at the Healthcare Forum, organized by Adevărul, on March 24. Both the Minister of Health and representatives of patient associations will participate in the event.
