The healthcare system must be a priority, FIC says

Health is now a priority for Romanian authorities and the total spending on healthcare has grown significantly over the last four years (although it is still the lowest proportion of GDP allocated to healthcare in the EU), according to an open letter by the Foreign Investors Council (FIC).

2017-07-25 13:57:13

"Even though the authorities have put a lot of effort in trying to solve important issues in the healthcare sector in the last few years, the sector is still not working according to EU standards," FIC said. "However, our community continues to be worried about the healthcare system in Romania which has significant impact on the population at large and consequently on economy."

The Foreign Investors Council (FIC) brings together 130 of the largest companies in Romania, that cover all major economic sectors, with a total turnover of more than 180 billion RON and members employ four per cent of the total workforce in Romania.

According to FIC data, the weight of population over 50 years is expected to increase from 36 per cent in 2015 to 43 per cent in 2020. Life expectancy is lower than the European average 75.5 (79.05 years females and 72.09 years males versus 83.6 years females and 78.1 years males, the EU 28 average) and the highest infant 5mortality rate in the EU - 8.4 (up from 9.2 in 2013) / 1,000 vs. 3.7/ 1,000 in EU28, in 2014.

Between 2013-2016 FIC rolled out a campaign called De profesie: Medic in Romania which focused on the declining number of health professionals in the country.