The Romanian government will approve the creation of permanent centers with at least five doctors in isolated areas, to improve access to medical services. Although the initiative promises to bring a solution for disadvantaged patients, experts question how doctors will be able to be attracted to these regions.
Family doctors are missing from almost 200 localities in Romania – Photo Archive
In Wednesday’s meeting, the Government approved the creation of permanent centers that will have five doctors each, and will be intended for isolated areas, where patients do not have immediate access to a doctor.
“Today we also help Romanians from rural communities and small towns, where there is a shortage of family doctors. We organize permanent centers with a minimum of five doctor positionsin isolated and hard-to-reach areas. Doctors will be exempt from providing on-call services in the continuity program“, declared Marcel Ciolacu.
Concretely, in our country there are more than 1,500 unfilled family doctor positions, and 190 localities are without a family doctor, according to the data provided by the president of CNSAS, Valeria Herdea, in April.
The shortage of family doctors is already a visible problem and is expected to become critical, as around 40% of them will retire in the coming years.
Cezar Irimia: “An unsupported electoral promise”
The Government’s initiative represents a solution for people who have nowhere to go to the doctor. However, the representatives of the patients say that it is an “election campaign”.
“It is an unsupported election promise, we are tired of lies and hypocrisy. Romanians are dying: treatments interrupted, there is no money for investigations, there is no money for treatments, cost-volume contracts have not been concluded.”said Cezar Irimia, President of the Federation of Associations of Cancer Patients, for “truth“.
The representative of cancer patients also wonders how the doctors will be attracted to these permanent centers in isolated areas.
“How will they motivate doctors to go there? That is the question. We are tired of these lies, the health system in Romania has never gone worse than now. We are tired of election campaigns, considering that only now patients matter. Where does it get so many doctors for the permanent centers? Who goes there, given that Romanian-educated doctors are expected abroad? Our doctors have so many advantages, being expected in the European Community, this is because we are considered to have a good medical school. Without motivating them with anything, with money, with housing, to attract them, you will not be able to oblige them.“, emphasized Cezar Irimia.
But the health system in our country does not suffer only because of the shortage of personnel. Asked how the problem of access to medical services should be solved, the president of the Association of Cancer Patients replied: “To fund the system properly.”
“The system has a major deficit now, not only in staff but also in funding, we’re half way around the European funding average, that’s what it’s all about.“, added Cezar Irimia.
More precisely, in 2021, Romania spent only EUR 1,663 per capita on health, i.e. half of the EU average. Health spending represented 6.5% of GDP, compared to an average of 11% in the European Union.
Moreover, approximately 12% of Romanians are not insured, the majority being from rural areas. Our country has only 3.5 doctors per 1000 inhabitants, despite a large number of medical and nursing graduates. The migration of medical personnel contributes to the current shortage of professionals in the field.
A chance for patients
Daciana Toma, vice-president of the National Society of Family Medicine (SNMF), believes that, although the permanent centers will not completely solve the shortage of family doctors, they will offer a chance to patients from isolated areas.
“I don’t know if it will necessarily solve the problem of the shortage of family doctors, but it certainly gives a chance to patients in those areas. Given that you have areas where citizens do not have access to medical services within a reasonable time, such centers can be a solution.”, Dr. Daciana Toma transmitted for “truth“.
The problem of the shortage of doctors is complex and deserves a deeper analysis, the family doctor believes.
“The story with the shortage of doctors is a back and forth story. Yes, we have a shortage of doctors, but it is a shortage that should be analyzed. As long as every year I have many residents who finish this specialty, in big cities I have agglomerations of family doctors, in the conditions where family medicine residency graduates, then go to other residencies, then I think what is the problem for which young people who finish the specialty do not go to positions in the province. Many want straight to the big cities, although being a family doctor can also be very good in the countryside, both professionally and financially. There are town halls that provide dispensary and housing and they don’t go, although there are accessible shuttles. The behavior of young family doctors is interesting. When we talk about respite centers, they are a solution, you cannot leave people without access to medical services“, said Dr. Daciana Toma.
However, the problem of attracting doctors including to these permanent centers in isolated areas remains.
“Considering that presence is not required every day in the permanence centers, it may be easier for them to find people, because they do not need to commute every day.“, stated the SNMF vice-president.
