Chronic problems in the healthcare system

International Doctors Day is celebrated on 1st October.

Corina Cristea, 02.10.2020, 13:50

For the last 36 years, 1st
October has marked International Doctor’s Day, which is a good opportunity to make
an x-ray of the healthcare system, all the more so as it was under a lot of
strain this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The representatives of the College of
Physicians in Bucharest have raised an alarm signal in this respect. They are calling
for the improvement of working conditions and the development of healthcare
policies leading to an increase in the number of doctors, which they say is
necessary given the current epidemiological context and Romania’s situation
compared with the European average. There are around 1.7 million doctors in the
European Union, that is one doctor for 260 inhabitants on average. By
comparison, Romania has 63,000 doctors, which means one doctor for every 307
inhabitants. Of this figure, almost a fifth are GPs and almost two thirds are
working in towns and cities.

The president of the College of
Physicians Cătălina Poiană issued a statement summing up the chronic problems
of the Romanian healthcare system: We have seen during this period just how
big is the workload of many doctors around the country, including in Bucharest.
In order to use the time we spend caring for patients efficiently and to implement
the hygiene and protection measures taken in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic,
we believe the authorities should find solutions to urgently increase the
number of doctors and set up new posts where necessary.

The statement also reads that this
has been a year that will go down in history as the year when the Covid-19
pandemic broke out, and when doctors have been asked to put in more effort and
many hours caring for patients. The statement also reads that the authorities’ focus
has been on healthcare in recent years, which has resulted in bigger budgets
for this sector, significant salary increases for the healthcare staff, and more
money for investments to ensure proper working conditions and to provide
quality healthcare for patients.

These efforts are recognised by the
College of Physicians in Bucharest, which recalls that in 2019 the number of
doctors increased in Romania by 2,700 compared with 2018 and that the latest
resident exams have had the biggest number of places so far. (CM)