The family doctors in Romania will no longer provide services reimbursed by the health insurance houses starting January 3, 2018, according to the National Society of Family Medicine.

The decision was taken after the additional documents for extending the health service provision contracts concluded with the county health insurance houses were not signed.

In a press release the National Society of Family Medicine says that, although the family doctors and their patients protested in mid-November against “a damaged health system, deviated from the natural direction,” nothing or very little has changed since then. For example, the draft budget for next year, which is currently debated in the Parliament, provides an allocation of only 5.8% of the National Health Insurance Fund to the primary health care sector, instead of the promised 10%.

“Those responsible for healthcare regulations and ensuring proper funding for the primary health care segment prove a very low availability to change something consistent,” reads the press release.

“Although family doctors are the basis of the public health system's pyramid, CNAS (e.n. the national health insurance house), the Government and the Romanian Parliament choose to ignore the fate of over 25,000 doctors and nurses who provide medical services to the entire population of Romania.”

15,700 Romanian doctors, 15,000 researchers work abroad

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com