Government gives priority to health care reform

In an interview with the Radio Romania Actualităţi, Prime Minister Emil Boc stated that the health care system had taken priority for the Government for two reasons. One is the reform of the health care system and the second is related to the health care budget.
The Prime Minister said that RON 300 million had been allocated to the health care system and RON 150 million had been deposited in the Reserve Fund for the health care system.

According to the Chief Executive, the budget will also include commitment and payment appropriations amounting to RON 1 682 million for medicine and additional expense, after the introduction of the measures established with the representatives of the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the World Bank.

"Minister Cseke has made an important step towards implementing the health care reform by restructuring certain hospitals that have failed to prove their efficiency. It is an important step, but it is not enough", Emil Boc stated, suggesting that much remains to be done to reform the health care system.

"A minimal package of health care services must be introduced so that the health care reform could be effective", the Prime Minister added.

"People must know that by paying a 5.5 percent contribution to health insurances they can benefit from certain health care services in a hospital; they must also know that depending on the health problems they could suffer from they might have to cover additional expenses, but until such a health care service package is not established some people could benefit from 100 percent health protection, while others might not benefit at all", the Prime Minister stated.

Prime Minister Emil Boc Minister Cseke has made an important step towards implementing the health care reform by restructuring certain hospitals that have failed to prove their efficiency. It is an important step, but it is not enough.

The Prime Minister emphasised that such a package must be established by the end of December and adopted by the end of March 2012.

Another measure is introducing the clawback measure, which according to Emil Boc, would add "some extra money to the state budget by imposing additional taxes to medicine manufacturers".

"Which means that in order to limit medicine consumption to a certain degree, a pay back mechanism will be put in place."

"The National House and the Ministry of Health must finalise the project that adds extra money to the budget of the state and of the National House", Emil Boc explained.
Government "can afford to pay pension benefits".

"The Government has the financial resources to pay pension benefits both this year and the following year", Prime Minister Emil Boc stated on Radio Romania Actualităţi.
He underlined that the Pension Law had limited the medium and long-term pension deficits.

According to the Chief Executive, in 2011 almost EUR 3.5 billion were transferred from the state budget and had the pension system not been reformed, EUR 5.5 billion would have been necessary in 2011 alone.

"In order to have the necessary financial resources, the economic activity must be stimulated and making new investment and finalising the investment that can be finalised take priority for the Government", Emil Boc stated.

The Prime Minister stated that the change in the budget that the Government had approved was positive and that it would support the investment and the social politics of the state.
Emil Boc insisted on mentioning that the most important means of increasing the budget was to combat tax evasion.

"Maybe for the first time in the last 20 years the revenues of the Government have increased substantially following the fight against tax evasion, especially by collecting the outstanding excise taxes on cigarettes and tobacco products."

"Therefore, an additional sum of RON 1 645 million has been added to the state budget by collecting outstanding excise taxes, which proves the efficiency of the Government. This does not mean that the Government is perfect", Emil Boc stated.

Translated by: Raluca Mizdrea
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University