Doctors who accept gratuities should be punished, CNAM

Informal payments offered to doctors by their patients, despite the latter having a health insurance, will become combatable, due to National Health Insurance Company’s (CNAM) new institutional development strategy, stated CNAM director general Mircea Buga on Saturday, during the “Public Life” show on National Radio, reports Info-Prim Neo. “The informal payment is a flaw of the Moldovan medical system, i.e. the off-the-books payments the doctors receive from their patients. This phenomenon exists, and there is a lot to be done here. Besides the change of mentality there must also be a legislative aspect of harsh sanctions”, mentioned the CNAM director. Mircea Buga pointed out that this phenomenon discredits the concept of mandatory health insurances, and the patients don’t understand what it covers, since they have to pay the doctor an additional fee. “We must fight this phenomenon, thus the company’s institutional development strategy for the next five years proposes certain activities were, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and other divisions. In addition to the aforementioned, there will be certain levers to stop certain colleagues, who are not that pure finance-wise, to demand informal payments from their patients”, said Mircea Buga. The CNAM Institutional Development Strategy will span over years 2013-2017. The document is still in its elaboration stage.