Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete declared on Monday in Bacau that the increase in fuel costs and the delay in the application of economic measures may generate additional pressure on the healthcare system, underlining the direct impact on emergency services.
"If someone told us with some slight arrogance that we can leave our cars at home for a day or two, that nothing is happening, I can tell you for sure that I cannot leave the ambulances in the garage for a day or two, because nothing is happening. The costs of fuel for ambulances, helicopters, and medical planes are starting to increase dramatically, and economic inaction and the postponement of the implementation of the decisions presented by the Ministry of Energy, I believe, will soon put great pressure on the health system," Alexandru Rogobete declared in a press conference.
He specified that, at present, there is no crisis in the supply of medicines and consumables, but the authorities are monitoring international developments and possible dysfunctions in the supply chains.
"Medicine is not done with empty hands. In the current context, fiscal and economic indecisions regarding fuel increases put some pressure on the health system that I cannot hide. Of course, the area of medicines and medical supplies where, I want to emphasize once again, we are not currently in a crisis, but, precisely for this reason, because we have international signals, an inter-institutional working group was organized at the Ministry of Health, which monitors stocks, signals, price fluctuations, possible discontinuities and so on," said Rogobete.
The minister also referred to the discussions regarding the incomes of medical personnel, indicating that there were proposals to reduce them, which were not implemented. He argued that maintaining the level of medical personnel's income was the result of decisions taken within the governing coalition, with the support of Sorin Grindeanu.
"Being the Minister of Health in Romania is one thing and being the Minister of Health for Romania is something else entirely. In December, I was faced with a decision, namely that we must very quickly, overnight, find a calculation formula by which the income of medical personnel must be reduced by 10%. The reason why, today, medical personnel do not have their income affected, the reason why today the salaries of doctors and nurses and pharmacists and all medical personnel in the health system were not cut, is that President Sorin Grindeanu supported me in the coalition and we opposed, both publicly and administratively, in all the discussions we had, so that this would not happen," Rogobete also stated.
The Minister of Health participated, on Monday, in Bacau, at a regional meeting of the Social Democrats, together with the President of the PSD, Sorin Grindeanu, and the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu.
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