The new co-payment system for hospital patients starts today (April 1 ) under which a maximum RON 10 charge will be paid on discharge. Under the new scheme, patients will have to pay from a minimum of RON 5 up to a maximum RON 10 when they leave hospital and several Bucharest medical institutions have already announced that they will be imposing a RON 10 charge from today. Other hospitals are reportedly still reviewing the new measure and considering how best to apply the charge to those with very little money.

Among the Bucharest hospitals that have already imposed a RON 10 charge on patients are Floreasca Hospital, Fundeni Institute, the University Emergency Hospital and the Sfanta Maria Hospital. The payment is a flat rate contribution and should be the same regardless of the length of stay in hospital.

Prof. Radu Macovei, part of the leadership team at Floreasca Hospital, told local news agency Mediafax that although RON 10 charges would be applied to some, those with very little money will not pay anything at all.

The Romanian authorities promised the International Monetary Fund that they would establish a level of co-payment of RON 10 – or some EUR 2.2. Initially, it was unclear if the charge would be made on a daily basis or as a discharge payment, although it is now clear that the latter option has been chosen.

“I wanted to make sure that the value of the co-payment will not have anything to do with family doctors, will not cover anything outside hospital admission and that it will not exceed RON 10. Sure, for those without financial means, it matters, but basically this is not an amount impossible to cover,” said Prime Minister Victor Ponta. The health minister Eugen Nicolăescu recently described the payment as “modest” and said that it would discourage bogus hospital admissions.

Romanians pay contributions to the Health Insurance House – a percentage of their monthly income – but will now also have to pay RON 10 every time they are hospitalized in a state-owned unit.

editor@romania-insider.com