Alexandru Rogobete, six-month mandate review: accelerated investments, prevention becomes public policy, and outpatient care is repositioned as a system pillar

According to the minister, the period was marked by difficult decisions and constant pressure, but the chosen direction was one of applied reform, built “without ego, through dialogue, and with professionals at the table”.

Major investments in severe burn centers

The Ministry of Health has accelerated investments in centers dedicated to patients with severe burns:

• Timișoara County Emergency Clinical Hospital – investment of approximately 350 million lei, with over 90% completion;
• Târgu Mureș County Emergency Clinical Hospital – more than 380 million lei, around 80% progress, with completion scheduled for May 2026;
• “Grigore Alexandrescu” Emergency Children’s Hospital – 280 million lei, currently under construction, with completion estimated for 2027.

According to the minister, these centers aim to reduce the need for Romanian burn patients to seek treatment abroad.

New hospitals and accelerated payments through the PNRR

Following the renegotiation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR):

• 8 hospitals retained PNRR funding;
• funding from European sources was secured for another 9 hospitals;
• one hospital has already been completed, while 7 more are scheduled to become operational by July 2026.

Payment data show a sharp acceleration in 2025, with the Ministry of Health paying a total of 4.45 billion lei, representing over 61% of the healthcare budget allocated through the PNRR.

Prevention becomes public policy

The minister announced the creation of a coherent screening framework for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer, the expansion of neonatal screening, and the development of palliative care services, including home-based care. Prevention, according to the review, is no longer a slogan but a structural component of health policy.

Expanded access to treatments and domestic drug production

Over the past six months, 41 new reimbursed and free medicines have been introduced, covering fields such as oncology, neurology, rheumatology, pulmonology, endocrinology, pediatrics, rare diseases, and infectious diseases, including HIV.

At the same time, the Ministry is investing 374 million lei in a research and production center for critical medicines at Antibiotice Iași, with the stated goal of strengthening Romania’s pharmaceutical independence.

Priority programs and performance-based rules

Priority Action programs have been expanded, including for stroke care, with 50 hospitals now prepared to provide advanced procedures. The stroke program budget has been increased to 66 million lei. Funding for ICU Priority Actions rose by more than 25% compared to the previous semester.

Two new programs, AP-STOMA and AP-ROBOTICS, were launched, while hospital management and department head competitions were restructured around measurable performance indicators. As of October 1, public hospital managers are required to publish regular reports on medical, economic, and administrative activity.

Outpatient care repositioned as a key access point

A central element of the review concerns specialist outpatient clinics, where the following measures were implemented:

• the possibility to extend working hours until 8:00 p.m. for high-demand specialties;
• simplified scheduling and physician rotation;
• an increase in the payment point per medical service to 6.5 lei;
• clarification of salary rights for physicians working in integrated outpatient care;
• rehabilitation and equipment upgrades for 69 outpatient clinics through the PNRR, with investments totaling 401 million lei.

Starting in 2026, several national screening and prevention programs will operate predominantly through outpatient care, which the minister defines as the “central pillar of prevention and early diagnosis”.

Clear rules for ICUs and clinical integration

The Ministry amended regulations governing ICU organization, introducing classification based on case complexity, mandatory post-anesthesia beds, clearer rules on equipment and maintenance, and updated staffing standards.

In addition, clinical integration rules were clarified for physicians and pharmacists who are also academic staff, aiming to reduce bureaucracy, maintain clinical expertise at the patient’s bedside, and ensure continuity in medical education.

In closing, the minister acknowledged that not all problems have been solved, but emphasized that the direction is “clear” and that tangible change is already underway, with further reforms planned for 2026.