Health and Safety in Romania

Romania’s health care is generally below the European standards and is inadequate in several rural regions. The Ministry of Health and Family leads in health policy making, developing various health programmes, and laying organizational and serviceable standards. It has 42 District Public Health Authorities that perform as decentralized units. In 1998, the country adapted a mandated Social Health Insurance System. The national Health Care Insurance Fund is made-up of employee contributions (6.5% of gross income), employer’s shares (7%), and contributions paid by the government to give aid to the unemployed, pensioners, and other underprivileged sectors of the society.

From 2000-2001, the top deadly group of diseases in the country are circulatory system, malignant tumors, respiratory system, accidents/poisonings/injuries, digestive system ailment, infectious diseases, and tuberculosis. The cases of pediatric AIDS in Romania is one of the highest in Europe, about 7,200 reported instances in 2006, due to unsafe blood transfusion and inoculation practices for young children in clinics and hospitals especially during the communist period.

The Romanian government has initiated different bilateral/multilateral assistance with international organizations such as the World Bank, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNAIDS, EU PHARE, the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, the United Nations Development Programme, and the UK Department of International Development. In its Governance Programme for 2000-2004, the health care system one of the top priorities.