The number of Romanians diagnosed with various types of cancer increased to over 78,000 new cases in 2012, according to the data provided on the EUCAN website, up from 51,450 new cases recorded a year before, bringing Romania on the 10th place among European countries.

The most frequent types of cancer in Romania are breast cancer- some 8,900 cases, lung including trachea and bronchus - over 11,000 cases and large bowel cancer - over 10,000 cases. According to the estimations provided on the EUCAN website, over 43,000 men and 35,000 women were diagnosed with cancer last year. More on the statistics about Romania here.

“In the last week, we had several talks about the insufficient funding of state hospitals, healthcare crisis, corruption and abuse in the system. But perhaps the most painful aspect is the cytostatic crisis and the lack of vital medicines needed to treat patients with cancer. In these circumstances, patients have no other choice but to get treatment abroad and pay substantial amounts for specialized care,” said Zahal Levy, President MediHelp International. He also added that a private health insurance might be an alternative for Romanians.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com