Basic package of medical services "was finalized"

The Minister of Health, Ladislau Ritli, said on Saturday at Oradea, that they are working intensively on the New Health Law and therefore the basic package of medical services was finalized.

This action does not remove any service nor cut drugs from the list of compensations and free drugs, according to the Minister.

Instead, it reduces the period of hospitalization for different diseases, which in Romania it is four to five days longer than European average, according to the Minister of Health.

This revised basic package, practically, does not reach any kind of service, any kind of drug, no service is removed from the basic package, but the accessibility is very well covered”, László Ritli said, according to the correspondent of Radio Romania Actualităţi, Stelian Radu Cacuci.

The Minister of Health added that the old limit to 20 consultations per day represented a violation of the rights of the patient.

"We eliminated this restriction. Chronic patients can go without programming and over that number of 20 they also benefit assistance, and send tickets, especially for receipts, and is not included in calculating the limitation of medical absence", László Ritli said.

The official added that, with regard to the system of private health insurance, the beneficiary will not be required for a particular insurer, but he will be able to choose.

Ladislaus Ritli noted that, together with the National Health Insurance, it was succeeded, in 2012, an increase of 15 per cent of the funds allocated to primary health care.

Thus, the amount of point per capital of the family doctors will increase from 3 to 3.5.

Health system “should be refunded”

The senator NLP, Minerva Boitan, considers that the reform of health system has no chance of success as long as the targets have not been established.

Minerva Boian claims that without a refinancing of the system any measure is unnecessary, so it should be taken into account the unlock items in health.

"Mr. Minister should know that before you make this law as you may have staff to work in the health sector, you must unlock the Ordinance 34 to be able to make employment and, at the same time, you must quit that amending of law through they have forced health units to be within 70 per cent from the salary budget", said the National Liberal party(PNL) senator.

Translated by Anamaria Petrache
MTTLC, Bucharest University