The “Health comes to you” caravan, which is organized for the third year by the Romanian Chronic Patients Alliance (APCR) in partnership with several companies, arrives between March and June in six counties of the country, in localities where citizens have reduced access to medical services.
The caravan “Health comes to you” extends a hand, annually, to patients from villages far from cities
The caravan will stop, between March 30 and June 2, in the localities: Beștepe – Tulcea, Vârtoapele and Scurtu Mare – Teleorman, Prundu and Greaca – Giurgiu, Alunu – Vâlcea, Mozăceni – Argeș and Tulnici – Vrancea, it is estimated that over 1,000 patients will thus have access to medical services that they otherwise cannot reach. The caravan will arrive in each locality for three days, in two distinct stages: the first stage will be dedicated to blood collection, and on the following weekend, the patients participating in the caravan will be consulted by specialist doctors.
The investigations, available free of charge, include a wide range of medical services: cardiology consultation (including EKG, heart score assessment, blood pressure and pulse measurement), diabetes consultation (which includes fasting blood glucose testing, the Michigan test, measurement of abdominal circumference, body fat percentage, calculation of body mass index), blood tests (such as lipid profile, total cholesterol, Ldl, HDL, triglycerides, serum glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin and blood count) and tests for hepatitis B and C.
“In rural areas, many people do not have a family doctor nearby and the costs of transport to the nearest hospital can be daunting. This means that for these people prevention is not an option, and visits to the doctor are rare and often delayed until health problems become serious. It is important to note that those who benefit from free medical investigations at the mobile caravan would pay considerable sums, up to 1,300 RON, for the same services at a private clinic”. says Cezar Irimia, president of APCR.
Patients treated with drugs seen in TV commercials
Romania has the second highest mortality rate from treatable causes (causes of death that can be avoided mainly through timely and effective medical interventions, including secondary prevention and treatment), say APCR representatives, citing the report “Health at a Glance: Europe 2023”. If this is what the studies say, the reality on the ground is even more frightening. A doctor participating in the 2023 edition of the “Health comes to you” caravan revealed that during the time he consulted for free during the caravan, he discovered situations that seem unbelievable. Where people do not have access to medical services even when they get sick, because prevention is no longer an issue, the same treatment is followed for years on end, without a reevaluation. Moreover, there are elderly people who turn to the same drugs, no matter what hurts them, and these drugs are the ones seen in TV commercials.
Many patients learned from the caravan's doctors that they were suffering from serious illnesses. PHOTO: APCR
“I am convinced that family doctors are overwhelmed by the very large number of patients. We found that many patients were self-medicating based on what ads they saw on TV. And there were patients who had anti-inflammatory treatment, which they took daily, for a year or two. They had kidney failure, because these drugs are not taken indefinitely. Several were neighbors and all were taking the same treatment. They told us that they didn't get it from the doctor, they took it themselves. Leg pains, headaches, anything, they treated them like that”revealed the doctor Anca Roman, for “Adevărul”.
The doctor was also impressed by the joy of the patients in whose health someone showed interest, but also dismayed by the fact that after the departure of the caravan, few of the patients who received a difficult diagnosis, such as diabetes, for example, will continue to turn to specialists and will seek to keep their disease under control.
The statistics of a national disaster
The Association of Chronic Patients from Romania presented, on the occasion of the announcement regarding the resumption of the “Health comes to you” caravan, also some worrying data about diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, derived from studies carried out by specialized institutions. In Romania, life expectancy is among the lowest in the EU, over 5 years lower than in the countries that have already “adopted” millions of Romanians in recent decades, and the bad news doesn't stop there:
• Over a third of the deaths in Romania in 2018 were caused by cardiovascular diseases;
• Over 1.5 million Romanians are treated within the Diabetes Program, but it is estimated that another million are undiagnosed;
• Romania has the highest mortality rate from treatable causes (including ischemic heart disease) in the EU;
• The prevalence of diabetes was 41% higher in 2019 compared to 2012;
• Life expectancy in Romania is still among the lowest in the EU (74.2 years vs. 80.6);
• Romania is in second last place in the EU in terms of spending on the health system;
• The access of Romanians from certain areas to basic health services is still difficult due to economic reasons or related to the overburdening of state health units;
• The growth rate of obesity in Romania for children until 2035 is estimated at 2.1%/year for adults and 5.6%/year for children, respectively high and very high.
