Health cards in Romania

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Roxana Vasile, 08.05.2015, 13:10

The implementation of the new regulation regarding
health cards in Romania has been accompanied by reactions ranging from
reassuring statements from state officials to scenes verging on hysteria.
Anyway, the issue of the health card has been making headlines for days now.

According to the law, starting May 1st, in
order for Romanian citizens to benefit from medical care, be it a check-up, a
blood test or a simple medical prescription, they must use the compulsory
health card. However, a week since its implementation, physicians have been
complaining that the card readers have not been functioning properly, and
discontent among patients has been growing, not to mention that some have not
even received the cards in question, without which they cannot benefit from any
type of medical care.

On the one hand, the authorities say that 5 million
cards have been activated so far. Moreover, the National Health Insurance House
says the programme is fully operational and the problems reported have occurred
because some of the providers of medical services, despite a preparation
period, are now using the card for the first time. The Health Minister Nicolae
Banicioiu has stated that in the past two days no more problems have been
reported regarding the software that ensures the functioning of the card and
most physicians and providers have done their job properly. As a result of
that, the number of medical services provided on the basis of the card has been
constantly growing.

On
the other hand, TV stations have been busy reporting numerous cases in which
local offices of the Health Insurance House have been crowded with people
desperate to get hold of their cards, which their fellow citizens received by
regular post months ago. In Bucharest alone, in the first 6 days of this month,
over 7,000 card applications were made online and 3,000 in writing. To prevent
queues, people are recommended to check on the website of the National Health
Insurance House if their cards have been issued. Also, the people who have
already sent their applications, are recommended to wait and be informed by
phone exactly when to go and pick up their cards. Anyway, for now physicians
are obliged to treat patients, if they are insured, even if they do not have
the health cards on them, while the Health Insurance House has promised to
reimburse the value of these services.