Romanian hospitals, in a dire situation
All intensive care units in Romania are being assessed by joint teams from the Public Health Directorate and the county inspectorates for emergency situations following the fire at the hospital in Piatra Neamt.
Daniela Budu, 17.11.2020, 14:00
Hospitals in Romania will increase their ICU capacity this week and the Government will allocate the necessary funds so that activity of the emergency care units unfolds smoothly, PM Ludovic Orban said after consultations with Health Minister Nelu Tataru. The two officials also talked about Sunday’s tragedy in Piatra Neamt. Ludovic Orban: ”The plan for this week includes an increase in intensive care capacity by at least 200 beds. We have found solutions for each region. We also discussed several solutions for Bucharest. We decided to provide all necessary equipment where new ICUs can be opened. Also, we try to find the resources to do all these things as soon as possible. ”
The PM has also announced that a conformity plan will be drawn up and presented to hospital managers: ”We monitor the observance of regulations as regads the functioning of ICUs. We discussed the possibility to cover all these costs through non-repayable European financing. As regards increasing the capacity of ICUs, we have discussed in detail the situation in each county. We will be able to treat more patients, including by turning some units into support hospitals.”
In his turn, Health Minister Minister Tataru has announced that another two medical units in Bucharest will become support hospitals. He has also said that the authorities’ main effort at present is directed towards increasing the ICU capacity to accommodate patients. He has explained that a forced modernisation of hospitals was made this year and that authorities have to make sure that safety measures have been also met.
Following the fire at the hospital in Piatra Neamt, joint teams from the Public Health Directorate and the county inspectorates for emergency situations are carrying out an assessment, as of Monday, in all intensive care units, checking all gas supplying installations and their compliance with the regulations in place with respect to patients and staff safety. Checks conducted so far have revealed that there are counties in Romania where hospitals do not have a fire security license. Trade union federation SANITAS, representing healthcare workers, has warned that the tragedy in Piatra Neamt can repeat anywhere in the country, due to the obsolete equipment and the exhausted staff. Romania has registered new negative records these days, due to Covid-19, and hospitals are under huge pressure. (Translated by Elena Enache)
