The hospitals in the country’s districts whose founders are now the district councils could be transferred under the management of the Ministry of Health. The measure is stipulated in a bill proposed by the MPs of the Party of Action and Solidarity. The Ministry of Health supports the legislative proposal and notes that this is expected to contribute to the development of hospitals through additional allocations, IPN reports.
Minister of Health Ala Nemerenco told a news conference that a shortage of essential equipment is witnessed and the quality of services as a result is low, while the medical staff leaves the system. There is also a shortage of funds. “The MPs’ proposal actually comes to support the optimization of hospital management that has become defective and is often subject to political influences. We want the health system to be depoliticized,” stated the minister.
According to her, as the founders, the district councils are obliged to invest in hospital infrastructure, but the made investments are derisory and range from 0.8% to 2-3% of the total hospital budget. The hospitals experience not only a pressing shortage of equipment, but also see an insufficient use of the available devices and lack modern surgical and procedure spaces. Instead, private business entities work within the precincts or inside hospitals and even installed equipment in district hospitals under different forms of partnership, in breach of the law. The failed incomes of district hospitals are enormous. It is the Ministry of Health that has invested in the development of district hospitals the past few years, not the local public authorities.
One of the bill sponsors, MP Dan Perciun said that the Ministry of Health now actually does not have instruments for controlling these hospitals, but the citizens request services of a high quality from the Ministry. “The citizens complain to the Ministry of Health, but this can only constitute an inspection commission and cannot take decisions. For example, the hospital director can be dismissed only by the district council. We know our political realities in district councils, where the posts are distributed strictly according to political criteria, to persons who form part of the party that rules in the district. In such a situation, the chance of dismissing the person is minimal, regardless of the integrity or management problems existing in that district hospital,” explained Dan Perciun.
The bill is to be endorsed by the Government and will be then given two readings by Parliament.
