Doctors “could be paid based depending on performance”

Health Minister, Vasile Cepoi, told for Radio România that under the new health draft, doctors will sign a contract with the hospital, but not under the Law pay, but according to the Labour Code.

The new health draft would have to enter the public debate, but it was not discussed on government’s meeting from Wednesday, which was supposed to give a final opinion.

The draft will be on the government agenda next week and until then, some of its provisions can be found on the health ministry website.

The new form of law was still presented this week to deputies and Senators from the Parliament's health committees, whose decisive vote the Health Minister hopes to receive in the autumn session.

The biggest weaknesses of the Romanian health system are financing, the failure evaluation and monitoring quality of care, but also the failure to ensure continuity of care both at family medicine and the three echelons: primary health, secondary medical and hospital - said health Minister, Vasile Cepoi, for Radio România Actualități.

Vasile Cepoi said that since the beginning of health insurance, was agreed a package of health services much more than the payment possibilities.

"To solve this problem, we started from the following question: for what risk do I insure? For the risk of a respiratory virus and I covered a few dozen lei treatment or for the risk of needing a service that costs a lot and that I would not be able to pay whether it's a modest amount, but that I would have to pay every month, whether is a too large sum that I can pay at a time?

"The response from the majority was that "I would insure an increased financial risk and for an increased risk of disease and not for a minor risk ", said the Minister of Health.

Vasile Cepoi added that we spend huge amounts of money on very cheap services of which benefits a large number of insured people, but that does not feel this support.

He also said that for disadvantaged groups should be established a special fund.

"Sure there's a population that cannot pay even that ten lei.”

"For that category, we will have to create a special fund, a social package of health services that includes also those services that are not part of the basic package, but that will be proposed to be borne by the state budget for that it comes to social security and insurance fund not welfare," said the Minister of Health.

According to the new draft of health, hospitals will no longer be budgetary institutions; they will receive money from the state budget only for national programs.

Hospital becomes a non-budgetary institution, with managerial and financial autonomy.

The new law requires doctors to sign a contract with the hospital, but not under the Law pay, but according to the Labor Code.

Health Minister also said, within the broadcasting show "News within debate", that doctors will be paid based on performance, volume, complexity and quality.

Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea
MTTLC, Bucharest University