The total expenditures of the public healthcare house in Romania (CNAS) increased by 16.7% year-on-year to RON 37.34 billion (EUR 7.86 bln) in January-November (compared to a 10.4% rise in revenues).

The sharpest increase was seen in the expenditures for medicines provided for free to those covered by the system: up more than 31% year-on-year to RON 10.34 bln.

The CNAS deficit thus rose fivefold compared to the  same period of the previous year to RON 2.5 bln (EUR 526 million, some 0.25% of the year’s GDP), local Economica.net reported.

Overall, the expenditures for medicines and medical devices provided to those insured rose by 28.9% year-on-year to nearly RON 12.0 billion. Another important chunk of the public healthcare budget went to the wages paid to medical staff in state-owned hospitals - more specifically, the top-up paid from CNAS in addition to the money paid by the local administration, in order to support the massive wage rises operated in early 2018. The payroll money thus spent from the CNAS budget was RON 8.75 bln in January - November, 19.1% up year-on-year.

The revenues to CNAS budget in January-November rose by 10.4% year-on-year to RON 34.84 bln (EUR 7.33 bln). The contributions paid by those insured rose by only 6.9% year-on-year, to RON 29.4 bln. The claw-back tax revenues contributed some RON 3.56 bln (+29.1% year-on-year) to the CNAS revenues.

editor@romania-insider.com

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