Approximately 23 percent of the money in the health system covers subsidized medication and private medical services, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila told on Monday the event "Innovative Romania: a resilient and competitive EU member state and OECD candidate".

"The EU average for health care allocations is 9 percent, and in Romania it is 4.5 percent. That 9 percent is not only public funding, it is also out-of-pocket funds. We are nearing 6 percent of public funds plus what people pay on their own. Somewhere around 23 percent of the money in the health care system is money that people pay for subsidized medicines and for private medical services. Roughly 23 percent, that's where we stand. So to the 4.5 percent we need to add 1 percent or so. We are getting closer to 6 percent, but it is still little," said the minister.

He emphasized the importance of an efficient budget collection.

"In 2023, the budget collection was 27 percent of GDP, whereas the EU average is 40 percent. I think this is the answer, specifically we need to allocate more money (...) to the health sector. But this is only possible when all the financial mechanisms are functional, and this referencing to the European Union takes into account all the elements, not only public health allocations, but also the GDP of a country like Romania against the European GDP, and revenue collection that must be near the EU average," he pointed out.

Foreign Affairs Secretary of State and national coordinator for Romania's OECD accession process Luca Niculescu highlighted some of the benefits of OECD membership.

"By cooperating with the OECD, Romania can build a more solid health system, promote innovative, patient-focused medical care services, and improve the overall health of the population. So, I would say that the added value, the chance of joining the OECD resides in the alignment with public practices and policies, with the best practices and existing international instruments," he emphasized.

Head of the European Commission's Representation in Bucharest, Ramona Chiriac, presented some statistics regarding the Romanian health system compared to EU standards.

"Looking at the x-ray of the Romanian health system, we see real institutional efforts to improve the situation, as well as systemic challenges. The Romanian health system is facing significant challenges due to the shortage of personnel and skills. In 2021, the density of doctors was 3.5 per 1,000 population, lower than the European average, despite the higher number of medical graduates. The ratio of medical assistants to the population was particularly low, with only 0.9 medical assistants per 1,000 people, compared to the EU average of 7.9. In addition, the number of medical assistant graduates is among the lowest in the EU," she said, adding that the emigration of medical staff exacerbates this shortage even more.

"Romania is the EU state with the third lowest life expectancy at birth, with the third highest mortality rate from treatable causes. We are below the EU average by cancer incidence, but stand above the EU average by mortality caused by cancer, which is mostly detected in the last stage. Prevention health expenditures are below the European Union average, we have an increasing consumption of antibiotics, a slow e-health adoption pace, and a sluggish digitization of the health system overall," Chiriac pointed out. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Florin; EN - editor: Simona Klodnischi)