Nicolaescu explains health care changes

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The minister explained private hospitals will continue receiving funds for specialized ambulatory care and one day hospitalization.

Health Minister Eugen Nicolaescu spoke at a press conference at Victoria Palace yesterday about the changes he planned to make to the system, namely on fund allocations to private hospitals and the issue of the likely conflict of interests or incompatibility referring to the doctors working in both the private and public sector. Referring to the decision of restrained public financing of the private health sector, Nicolaescu pointed out it could not be reached before the passage of the 2013 Budget Bill. “In order for everybody to calm down with respect to private hospitals, I should mention that they will get funding for specialized ambulatory care, day hospitalization and if they are the sole medical units in their area, namely no public hospitals or they have specializations unique   in the respective area,” Mediafax quoted the minister as saying. Nicolaescu also said that talks with private hospital officials will begin in the second half of the next week. The Health minister announced late last week that the new framework-agreement to come into effect March 1would stipulate that public funds would only go public hospitals, with financing from the  National Health Insurance House (CNAS) being scrapped to private hospital units. As to the potential conflicts of interest arising from doctors working in both the public and private health system, Eugen Nicolaescu said the would-be measures could only be taken after evaluations and discussions with the   professional and patient organizations. “Nobody infringes on anybody else. (…) the health Ministry, in its report put before Government on Wednesday,  ascertained that there are such situations bordering on legality, of potential incompatibilities and conflicts of interest or likely defrauding of public money,” the minister said. According to the Health Ministry report presented at Government’s Wednesday session, many of the doctors working in the public system also have private offices or are employed by some private health providers, with such situations therefore requiring examinations also from the viewpoint of   a potential conflict of interest, mainly if a doctor also holds a leadership position in a public unit.

Arafat: Bistrita girl case, one of malpraxis

Dr. and Health State Undersecretary Raed Arafat yesterday said that the case of the 4-year-old girl who died in Cluj, is a “classic case of malpraxis” and will be transferred to the Romanian College of Physicians (CMR). The State undersecretary also described the patient’s original lesion as not serious originally, given she was admitted to hospital for a sprain, having fallen on ice.  Later on, however, her condition worsened and she died of a septic and toxic shock.