Phased measures starting August 1: Minister Rogobete outlines timeline for healthcare reform

Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete presented additional details today about the planned reforms in the healthcare system, responding to questions from the press at the end of a joint conference with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. The first measures will come into effect on August 1, as part of a phased process that includes consultations with unions, new performance criteria for medical staff, and a major overhaul of the salary system for doctors.

First steps begin in August. Consultations with unions

The minister announced that the measures will be implemented gradually, starting on August 1:

„The measures will be implemented step by step. In the next two weeks, we will hold repeated meetings with the unions to finalize their form,” said Rogobete.

Doctors’ salaries will not be reduced but rather recalibrated based on the complexity of the cases they handle:

„Performance-based pay does not mean salary cuts. We aim to reward doctors who manage complex cases, not just those who see a high volume of patients.”

Scheduling platform for MRI and lab tests coming this fall

Asked why patients are still waiting weeks for tests, Rogobete confirmed that a digital scheduling platform will become operational this fall, initially covering imaging and laboratory investigations:

„We hope the platform will be ready this fall for the first areas: MRI, CT, and lab tests.”

Focus on performance, not symbolic presence. Penalties for breaching work hours

A key element of the reform is enforcing work hours in the public sector:

„Doctors who leave the public hospital at 11 or 12 to work in the private sector risk losing their public hospital contract. Managers will be required to enforce this.”

Additionally, on-call pay will be adjusted based on the difficulty of the medical specialty, avoiding uniform compensation for simple and complex procedures alike:

„You can’t compare an ingrown toenail to open-heart surgery.”

Hospitals will be evaluated on their ability to retain patients

A new institutional performance indicator will be a hospital’s ability to treat patients without unnecessary referrals:

„A hospital’s performance will also be assessed by its ability to treat patients without sending them off to other facilities.”

Unjustified hospitalizations for tests that could be done in outpatient settings will be discouraged, and outpatient clinics will extend their working hours into the evening to offer patients more access to care without hospitalization.

Residents in private hospitals will no longer be paid by the state

Another significant change will take effect starting September 1: resident doctors training in private hospitals will be paid by those hospitals, not by the Ministry of Health, as has been the case until now.

Through these reforms, the Ministry of Health aims to correct imbalances in the public system, reduce abuse, and improve access to patient-relevant services without compromising the stability of medical personnel.

The full recording of the press conference is available on YouTube, on the Romanian Government’s official channel (use the „autotranslate” option for subtitles in English).