A representative of Romania's Association of International Medicine Manufacturers (ARPIM) has suggested that life expectancy in the country could be improved with greater investment in health and more accessibility to the latest medicines. Life expectancy in Romania is 72.7 years, according to the latest figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This puts Romania well below the EU average and behind neighboring countries Hungary (73.3 years) and Bulgaria (72.8 years). The only EU states that Romania outranks for life expectancy are Latvia (71.1 years) and Lithuania (70.9 years).

“Life expectancy is directly proportional to investment in health and that is why Romania's position in the ranking is not a surprise,” said the ARPIM executive director Dan Zaharescu, quoted by Mediafax newswire. He explained that investment in next generation drugs and providing them to the population are major factors in increasing life expectancy.

“Unfortunately, innovation in Romania is on the waiting list,” said Zaharescu. He said that it had been five years since any new drugs were made available via country's health service and added that providing the newest medicines can in the end reduce government healthcare costs. Despite the higher prices, the new medicines can reduce the time of treatment, side effect that require attention or other additional medical care.

editor@romania-insider.com