Healthcare in Romania

Romania offers benefits of an universal healthcare system. The state finances primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare. Public health campaigns are independently financed by the Government of Romania. The Ministry of Health of Romania is required to manage and supervise the public healthcare sector. For 2013, the budget allocated for the healthcare sector is US$2.6 billion (8.675.192.000 lei), or roughly 1.7% of the GDP.

The access to healthcare is guaranteed by Article 34 in the Constitution of Romania, which specifies that the state is obliged "to guarantee the sheltering of healthcare".

Every citizen of Romania is entitled to cost-free, unrestricted medical procedures, as established by a physician only if they present themselves with a health card as of 9th of September 2015, proving to have paid insurance. Citizens of the European Union, alongside with Romanian citizens without paid insurance have the right to free emergency medical assistance.

The concept of universal healthcare has been implemented in name only in Greater Romania. However, the patients were still required to pay some medical costs, and in some cases, the fees were too high. In consequence, healthcare was virtually only available to the middle class and upwards. The working class were in the position of having to use free clinics or hospitals run by charities.

The first concept of public healthcare appeared in 1700. At the time, it was a common practice for foreign doctors to be brought in to provide healthcare for the upper class. Philanthropists ran their own charity hospitals, and provided free healthcare for the peasants.

The National Red Cross Society was founded on 4 July 1876. The first president of the Romanian Red Cross was Dimitrie Ghica, between 1876 and 1897. The Romanian Red Cross is the only humanitarian organization with a functional network across the country. It has 47 subsidiaries, 1,996 under subsidiaries and 1,307 commissions.

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Wikipedia